US Agreed to Pay North Korea $2Mln for Warmbier Release - Former Envoy

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States agreed to pay $2 million for the release of US student Otto Warmbier in 2017, ostensibly for Warmbier’s hospital care while in custody, but it remains unclear whether the Trump administration made the payment, former Department of State Special Representative Joseph Yun said on Monday.

"As soon as North Korea side told me that this bill for $2 million would have to be paid… I contacted my boss then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson," Yun said in an interview on CNN.

Yun explained that Tillerson "got back to me very quickly thereafter to say yes, go ahead and sign."

National Security Adviser John Bolton confirmed in an interview with Fox News on Sunday that the United States signed an agreement, but had not paid any money.

The Washington Post first reported that North Korea had presented the United States with the $2 million bill for Warmbier’s hospital care, which the paper characterized as "extraordinarily brazen even for a regime known for its aggressive tactics."

READ MORE: North Korea Gave Washington $2 Million Hospital Bill for Otto Warmbier — Report

Warmbier, who visited North Korea as a tourist was detained in January 2016. He was returned to the United States in a coma and died within a week.