Otto Frederick Warmbier was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 12, 1994. He was the oldest of three children to Cynthia and Fred Warmbier, the latter of whom worked as a metal finisher in Cincinnati.
Otto was a popular student at Wyoming High School, where he graduated as salutatorian in 2013. He enrolled at the University of Virginia where he pursued a double major in commerce and economics.
In late 2015, Warmbier enrolled in a study abroad program, intent on spending a year in Hong Kong. Before heading to Asia's World City, however, he decided to visit North Korea. He contacted Young Pioneer Tours, a Chinese-based travel firm with the slogan "destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from." It would prove to be prophetic.
On December 29, Warmbier's tour group arrived in Beijing. They would celebrate New Year's Eve in Kim II Sung Square before returning to their hotel, where Warmbier noticed a propaganda poster on display. It read "let's arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong II's patriotism." Having had a few drinks, Warmbier attempted to take the poster, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. He was arrested the following day at the airport, moments before flying home.
Warmbier was detained for six weeks, before giving a prepared statement that many felt was coerced. He took responsibility for attempting to steal the poster, claiming he had done so at the behest of his Ohio church and the University of Virginia, claims that Time Magazine would brand as "fanciful and implausible." For his actions, Warmbier was sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor.
Back in America, Warmbier's parents were not only being stonewalled by the North Korean government, but by their own as well. According to Fred, the two were repeatedly asked by members of the Obama Administration, including then-Secretary of State John Kerry, to "maintain a low profile" on their son's situation. The Warmbiers would not comply. In fact, years later, the two would become actively involved in Republican presidential campaigns.
In June 2017, more than a year after his imprisonment, North Korea announced that it was releasing Warmbier, albeit in a vegetative state. He was flown to Cincinnati, where he ultimately died on June 19th. He was 22 years old. A postmortem examination suggested his death was the result of a blood clot, pneumonia, sepsis, or kidney failure.
More than 2,500 people attended Warmbier's funeral, including Ohio Senator Rob Portman. It was conducted at his alma mater, Wyoming High School. He was then laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in Glendale, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. Though hard to read in this photo, the inscription reads "Son - Brother - Friend."
Rest in peace.
Trivia
- A number of books on the case have been published since Warmbier's death, in varying degrees of taste. Check out the selection at Amazon.
- As a college student of the Jewish faith, Warmbier was a member of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
- After Warmbier's death, North Korean officials continued to claim that they had treated him humanely, adding that their country was the biggest victim in the case. A spokesman for the Korean Central News Agency told ABC News "although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S., considering that his health got worse."
- In 2018, Warmbier's parents successfully sued the North Korean government, which was ordered to pay the family $501 million in damages. However, there is no mechanism in place to enforce the ruling.
- After his death, Warmbier's parents established a college scholarship in his name. In 2022, they awarded it Seohyun Lee, a North Korean defector.
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