Press Release

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel on human rights, released the following statement on the death of Otto Warmbier:

     “My condolences and prayers go out to the parents, family and friends of Otto Warmbier. His death is an unnecessary tragedy that must be laid squarely at the feet of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.

     “The era of strategic patience is over, the Administration has thankfully moved on from the failed policies of the Obama Administration, but we cannot shy away from the truth that a rogue regime, able to sentence a young tourist to 15 years of hard labor for apparently stealing a propaganda poster, is willing to use nuclear weapons when it finally acquires them.  This is a clear national security threat that requires action.  

     “The U.S. and the international community must focus on bringing those responsible for Otto Warmbier’s death to account. This would include those corporations and countries complicit in propping up a Kim Jong Un.

     “There are still three other Americans being held hostage in North Korea, and as many as 200,000 North Koreans being held in modern day concentration camps. We have an obligation to do everything we can to help these individuals.”       

The three Americans still detained in North Korea are: 

• Tony Kim, also known as Kim Sang-duk, was detained on April 23. Kim had been working at China's Yanbian University of Science and Technology, located on the Chinese border with North Korea, for "many years" when he was arrested, the school said. Kim, in his 50s, previously worked as an accountant in Los Angeles. He was apprehended while trying to leave the country from Pyongyang Airport, but there were no details on why.

• Kim Hak-song, also known as Jin Xue Song, was detained on May 6. Kim was working at Pyongyang Science and Technology University when he was held for "hostile acts against the republic," according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. He was also taken into custody while trying to leave the country.

• Kim Dong-chul, 64, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016 for espionage and subversion charges brought against him the previous year. He told reporters that he had spied for South Korean intelligence authorities in order to bring down the North Korean regime; it was unclear whether that apparent confession was coerced. He is reportedly a naturalized U.S. citizen.

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