Court proceedings from third-year Commerce student Otto Warmbier’s sentencing trial in North Korea showed images indicating a banner Warmbier allegedly stole supported former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, according to a report from Reuters. The North Korean government alleges Warmbier’s fingerprints were found on the banner.
Warmbier was in North Korea with the tour group Young Pioneer tours. He was detained by the North Korean government Jan. 2 and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor earlier this week.
An image from the state media of the one-hour trial shows the banner used as evidence. The name in the photo is censored, but it appears that the slogan references “Kim Jong Il patriotism.” The movement grew as way to glorify Kim Jong Il after he died in 2011.
In addition to the banner, the court showed still CCTV images of Warmbier entering a staff-only section of the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang. Warmbier’s North Korean tour guide, identified only as Mr. Byon, apparently identified Warmbier from the court’s image in his witness testimony.
Other evidence in the trial included the shirt and boots worn by Warmbier, as well as his passport, mobile phone and an ID card.
A representative from Young Pioneer Tours declined to comment on the court proceedings.
Read More
DivestUVA hosts rally to call for reapportionment of University funding from fossil fuels
By Brandon Kile | 1 hours agoPart of DivestUVA’s mission is increased communication between the University and students on where its $13.6 billion endowment is being spent.
17 Society paints over Beta Bridge memorial to Nov. 13 shooting victims
By Finn Trainer | 12 hours agoIn response to the decision to paint over the original memorial, multiple members of the University community took to Beta Bridge late Thursday afternoon to paint another memorial.
New School of Data Science building advances interdisciplinary, data-driven work
By Lexie Stadler | 17 hours agoEmma Candelier, director of communications for the SDS, said that the building provides a distinct collaborative space to data science students for the first time.
