Fred Warmbier has taken legal action against North Korea since the death of his son Otto Warmbier in 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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Oct. 25 (UPI) -- A lawsuit filed against North Korea for the wrongful death of University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier was delivered to Pyongyang's foreign ministry.
Voice of America reported Thursday that the student's father, Fred Warmbier, filed the suit in federal court, and on June 19 international express mail service DHL was used to send the document to Pyongyang's foreign ministry. The news service stated a North Korean individual with the surname Kim signed for the letter in Pyongyang.
Fred Warmbier filed the lawsuit in April, less than a year after Otto died following repatriation to his Ohio hometown in 2017.
The student was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 for allegedly taking down a North Korea propaganda banner.
Documents obtained by VOA show North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho was named as the defendant in the case.
The Warmbiers' legal counsel included three projections, or values, of the wrongful death case. Taking into consideration Otto Warmbier's age, education and possible earning potential, the value projections ranged from $1.99 million to $6.03 million. A midrange value of $4.2 million was also included in the suit, according to the report.
On Oct. 10, Fred Warmbier submitted a 19-page statement to a federal court in Washington, D.C., denouncing North Korea while detailing the circumstances his family has had to endure since his son's detention.
Fred Warmbier said his son was treated like a security threat in North Korea, and repudiated North Korea claims his son was plotting to steal North Korea propaganda with his friends at a Cincinnati restaurant on Sept. 23, 2015.
Fred Warmbier was recently in Seoul to speak with South Korean foreign ministry officials, News 1 reported Tuesday.
Yoon Soon-gu, the assistant deputy foreign minister, met with Warmbier upon the request of the U.S. government, according to the report.
Yoon reportedly told Warmbier the South Korean government would make every effort to prevent tragic deaths from occurring in the future, and Otto's father said he supported engagement with North Korea, according to News 1.
