After 18 months in captivity, Otto Warmbier was medically evacuated from North Korea and returned home to the United States. Although he was reunited with his family, his health continued to deteriorate rapidly.

After a few days in the hospital, Otto Warmbier died at the age of 22 due to the catastrophic injuries he suffered while held as a prisoner in North Korea. His death provoked an international outcry and raised questions about human rights violations in the regime-controlled country.

After being returned to the United States, Otto’s family and doctors expressed outrage at North Korea for failing to care for him properly during his imprisonment.

Reports indicated that Otto had suffered a severe neurological injury as a result of his treatment, leaving him in an unconscious state until he ultimately passed away about one week after arriving back in the United States.

The Warmbier family pressed for justice and the US government imposed travel bans and other economic sanctions on North Korea afterwards.

While these measures have been taken to protect US citizens, more work needs to be done to ensure that this tragedy never repeats itself.