Seoul: North Korea on Thursday accused Donald Trump of exploiting the death of Otto Warmbier, referring to the US president as an "old lunatic" for alleging the American student was tortured while in Pyongyang's custody.
In a statement issued by the state-run KCNA news agency, North Korea's foreign ministry accused the US of "luring and pushing" 22-year-old Warmbier into breaking the country's laws.
"Trump and his clique, for their anti-DPRK propaganda, are again exploiting the death of Otto Warmbier," it said, using the acronym for the North's official name.
Warmbier, who was visiting North Korea as a tourist in January 2016 when he was arrested and imprisoned by the regime, died in June a few days after he was sent home in a mysterious coma after more than a year in prison in North Korea.
In the statement, the North accused "an anti-DPRK conspiracy organization in the U.S" of giving Warmbier a criminal "mission".
The US was now "employing even a dead person for the conspiracy campaign to fuel the international atmosphere of putting pressure on the DPRK", it said.
Warmbier's parents and Trump this week accused the reclusive regime of torturing the young man, who had been convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster from a Pyongyang hotel.
"Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea," Trump said on Twitter.
The parents, in a series of TV interviews Tuesday, said their son showed signs of torture, including teeth that appeared to have been "rearranged," and hands and feet that were disfigured.
On Wednesday, an Ohio medical examiner said Warmbier displayed no obvious signs of torture. He had suffered brain damage caused by the lack of oxygen to the brain, the coroner said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
In a statement issued by the state-run KCNA news agency, North Korea's foreign ministry accused the US of "luring and pushing" 22-year-old Warmbier into breaking the country's laws.
"Trump and his clique, for their anti-DPRK propaganda, are again exploiting the death of Otto Warmbier," it said, using the acronym for the North's official name.
In the statement, the North accused "an anti-DPRK conspiracy organization in the U.S" of giving Warmbier a criminal "mission".
Advertisement
Warmbier's parents and Trump this week accused the reclusive regime of torturing the young man, who had been convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster from a Pyongyang hotel.
Advertisement
The parents, in a series of TV interviews Tuesday, said their son showed signs of torture, including teeth that appeared to have been "rearranged," and hands and feet that were disfigured.
Advertisement
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Iran-Backed Hackers Targeting Donald Trump, Kamala Harris Campaigns: Google Donald Trump Fails 3rd Time To Unseat Judge Sentencing Him In Hush Money Case North Korea To Open Borders For Foreign Tourists In December Vandalism At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped, Tear Gas Fired 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court "Want To Ask Congress...": Mamata Banerjee Snaps At Ally In Rape-Murder Case Professor 'Digitally Arrested' For 12 Days By Scammers, Loses Rs 12 Lakh Independence Day 2024 Live Updates: PM Modi To Address Nation From Red Fort PM Modi To Address Nation From Red Fort On 78th Independence Day Today Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.