US judge orders North Korea to pay $500M in student's death

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

By ERIC TUCKER
30 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ordered North Korea to pay more than $500 million on Monday in a wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died shortly after being released from that country.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington ruled that North Korea should pay damages to Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of the University of Virginia student.

Warmbier was a University of Virginia student who was visiting North Korea with a tour group when he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 on suspicion of stealing a propaganda poster. He died in June 2017, shortly after he returned to the U.S. in a coma and showing apparent signs of torture while in custody.

The judgment is largely a symbolic victory for now, since there is no mechanism to force North Korea to pay.

-snip-


Read more: https://apnews.com/fd9f6d7cfd6948a4adaa81d3c021cebc

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Lots of luck collection on that

I wonder if Trump will intervene like he did with Jamal Kashoggi.

[bitterross]

2. Stay out of hostile foreign countries

Yes, I feel for the family's loss. I'm not a total ass.

However, the idea of going to N. Korea on a tour with a touring company known for its party-hearty atmosphere was a bad idea and the students knew there were risks. You don't go to a totalitarian state where the people are starving to have a "fun-filled, adventure." In fact, the very idea of that is indecent and immoral. There are plenty of other travel destinations that promise exotic adventures.

[Cold War Spook]

6. Hostile foreign countries?

There are states I won't go to. I have tendencies to open my big mouth when in the presence of idiots.

[treestar]

18. Was he evangelizing?

At least some have. The only worse decision is evangelizing at North Sentinal Island.

On edit, he wasn't. He was the one who stole a propaganda poster.

[gay texan]

20. Never steal something in a country

That despises you. It won't end well. Better yet, stay out of the fucking country altogether.

[treestar]

21. agree I would not go there

If curious, there are plenty of videos on you-tube from people who did go.

Of course, they restrict where they can take video, but will let people film the countryside and Pyongyang.

[gay texan]

22. Vietnam is open to tourists

I'd much rather go there. North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Yemen, Libya, Lebanon, and Siberia are the last places I would want to visit

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Getting Trump to pay a judgment is easier than North Korea.

[torius]

4. Will Mexico tell the US to pay

For the kidnapped, sold, and dead children?

[LeftinOH]

5. North Korea isn't a totalitarian theme park..

Yes- what happened to that kid was awful, and unjust. At a distance, it is easy to casually regard North Korea as a sort of vintage totalitarian version of colonial Williamsburg VA (they even sell their own propaganda posters as souvenirs...he didn't have to steal one). I've even thought how interesting it might be to see such a ridiculous culture first hand, but this tragedy proves that North Koreans consider their malarkey worth killing for.

[elmac]

7. China should pay this, they own NK. A capitalist paradise flooding our country with cheap junk

I think they can afford the 500m, no prob. If not, tax all the US corps making the cheap junk over there.

[clementine613]

8. Trump should pay the judgement since it was his incompetence...

... that got the kid kidnapped and killed.

[sarisataka]

9. How was this Trump's fault?

Did he ask NK to arrest this kid?

[clementine613]

11. I can't say for certain that he did, but I wouldn't put it past him.

Nonetheless, the kid died on Trump's watch and due to Trump's diplomatic failure to get him back safely.

[former9thward]

23. He was kidnapped when Obama was President.

[Polybius]

14. The kid got arrested in North Korea in January 2016

A year before Trump even took office.

[sarisataka]

15. Exactly nt

[treestar]

19. True. Although the Orange Dolt did blame Obama for his being there

and claimed that he (the Orange Dolt) could fix it all.

[Polybius]

13. Trump wasn't even President when the kid got arrested

He was arrested in North Korea in January 2016.

[keithbvadu2]

10. Must be fake news. Dotard said Rocketman was very honorable.

[Takket]

12. should have asked for 20 trillion so we could pay off the national debt

and some for a rainy day

[lostnfound]

16. $500 million for this college man. How much for a 7-year old girl?

Sure it’s different.
From the bare facts, though, both were young people who died in the hands of a foreign country that detained them.

[Nitram]

17. Good luck collecting that.