Otto's dad on tv

[FM123]

He is giving a press conference about his son coming home from N Korea.
Heartbreaking to watch....

[luvMIdog]

1. oh I can't watch....too sad :(

[sharp_stick]

2. People need to stop

travelling to North Korea. It's not a tourist or adventure destination it's a dangerous shithole where the government will not hesitate to use anyone as leverage.

[Demsrule86]

3. will the kid recover? And why did his crazy church want him to steal a flag?

[sharp_stick]

5. If he's been in a coma as long as they say

I wouldn't put money on him ever coming out of it. As for the flag, my best guess is that he did it on a lark, forgetting exactly where he was.

Did he go with a church group? That's not just dangerous, it's incredibly stupid. I'm surprised the US doesn't ban travel to NK. American citizens are simply pawns over there.

[MichMary]

6. Veiled comments

"We want to be part of our son's life."

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that sure sounds like they don't expect him to improve a lot.

[FM123]

12. Especially when he looked up to the heavens when he said "Otto we love you"

[Ilsa]

8. The crawler said there is neurological damage. Also,

the family was told he's been in a coma for a long time, but no one had notified them.

Thank goodness Ambassador Yun got the ball rolling on this.Yun has been in the State Dept for at least a few years, but for some reason, nothing appears to have been achieved in getting him home during the prior administration.

[Demsrule86]

21. That is horrible.

They sent him home because his condition worsened probably.

[Ilsa]

26. After thinking about it for awhile, I doubt much negotiating went on.

1. You're right: they probably didn't want to take care of him any more;
2. No telling what little bribe or ransom tillerson threw at them to release him.

[Demsrule86]

35. I am very sad for his parents and him.

[Ilsa]

36. Absolutely heartbreaking. So unnecessary.

My guess is he got hurt or sick at his labor camp and they didn't do anything significant to help him.

I really hate that regime.

[Demsrule86]

37. He may have been tortured ...water boarded...which caused a lack of oxygen to give up

other missionaries working in North Korea.

[FM123]

4. The dad just said that!

He said they lure tourists to visit them thinking it will be an exciting adventure.

[sharp_stick]

9. If you look on the web at all the

"inside North Korea" blogs and stories they make it look like an interesting glance at a completely cut off part of the world.

Few people from this part of the world, especially kids, ever considers the possibility that they could wind up in a prison camp where people are murdered because they don't move quickly enough.

[jberryhill]

27. If you smile, nod, bow and do what's expected, no problem

The problem is that it's become something of a contest to try to "get away with something" there.

If this kid had wanted a copy of a propaganda poster, he could have simply asked if he could have one, instead of trying to steal one.

Not that the death penalty for stealing a propaganda poster is in any sense "okay", but as you point out - this was the country he decided to visit.

But, yah, tools like this guy don't help:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. Unless you're Dennis Rodman deliving a copy of Donald Trump's book to Dear Leader.

Our North Korean backchannel is Dennis Rodman.

Just think about that for a second.

[irisblue]

41. Bill Richardson of NM. He was quite active for awhile.

[MichMary]

7. Pretty much a Trump love fest.

Much praise for the efforts Trump and Tillerson made, while bashing PBO and Kerry.

[Ilsa]

10. Actually, I think he's held it back quite a bit.

I think he's found ways to express his frustration and anger with the Obama Administration without namecalling. He has expressed gratitude to Tillerson, but I haven't heard him praise trump.

[MichMary]

14. Near the end he mentioned the phone call

from Trump, said it was very kind, expressed concern for the family. Blah, blah, blah.

[Ilsa]

17. Yeah, and I can understand that. He was asked, but didn't praise trump, or get political.

If the phone call made this family feel better, then good. If trump can act like a decent human being for five mintes, then I'm happy for the innocent family who benefits from the rare emotional largesse.

The people in office we despise do not behave like pure evil 100% of the time, just as good people, even "saints", are not 100% without meanness or selfishness.

[hlthe2b]

11. Early on there was a question re: Obama admin attempts to get him released

I didn't hear the answer, but it seemed like he seemed to suggest Obama admin didn't try hard enough or something... Was that what he was saying or did I miss it with too much multi-tasking?

Regardless, I'm not blaming him if he did say something to that effect... His son's release is both parts wonderful and tragic.

[B2G]

15. "The results speak for themselves" nt

[LanternWaste]

18. In Latin, "post hoc ergo prompter hoc..." nt part II

In Latin, "post hoc ergo prompter hoc..." nt part II

[MichMary]

16. "Strategic patience"

Sounds like they were advised to maintain a very low profile, in order not to upset the Norks. It didn't work out very well.

I can understand the bitterness. As a citizen of the US, I would expect my government to do everything possible to bring my kid home ASAP. When it didn't happen for a year and a half, it's kind of natural to blame someone.

[Adrahil]

31. By the same toekn, wtf was the kid doing there?

Reminds me if folks who climb dangerous mountains in bad weather.... and then expect everyone to drop everything and riak themselves to save the idiot.

Don't get wrong... i feel sorry for the kid and his family, but he isn't entitled to anything under the circumstances.

[MichMary]

32. Kids do stupid things

Sometimes they do monumentally stupid things. He assumed he wouldn't get sentenced to 18 years hard labor for stealing a poster. He thought he'd get a cool little souvenir, but instead he has suffered permanent profound brain damage.

On the Stupid Scale, this was off the charts. I hope it serves as a warning for other stupid kids.

[Adrahil]

33. Yes, of course....

But the parents have to carry some responsibility here, right? Presumably, they paid for his trip.

I'm sure tState did what they thought they could within the context of the situation....

[MichMary]

34. Not sure . . .

It seems I read that he was in Asia, and this was a little side trip. IIRC, he called from wherever he was and told his parents just before he went there.

And, who knows? He may have been paying for the trip himself. My son used a lifetimes worth of Christmas and birthday savings bonds to pay for a trip to Eastern Europe.

[Ilsa]

19. Without saying it, I think he believes the previous State Dept

didn't try hard enough. They stayed quiet believing it would help their son survive. After hearing nothing from DPRK for over a year, they felt it was time to act. Frankly, it is possible that Kerry's State Dept. was also right: that the young man would have been killed if the family had been too vocal. I doubt Tillerson said anything, other than making promises, that got him released. All of those details will probably kept quiet.

[renegade000]

39. Well, and to be blunt...

Your value as a hostage/bargaining chip drops significantly if you're in a vegetative state .

[get the red out]

20. I am very upset over this

My thinking isn't very kind regarding NK today, to say the least. And I am very disappointed that President Obama's administration didn't get him out, now he comes home like this.

[Ilsa]

28. Keep in mind that there is a lot we don't know about in terms of how hard

the State Dept tried, no matter what Otto's sweet dad thinks. (And that family has my best hopes for them.)

For one thing, Obama and Kerry took it on the chin when they got the hostages in Iran released. They were accused of paying ransom. Okay, then, so the American people don't want to bail out people naive enough to go to dangerous places? Maybe there wasn't anything they could offer Kim Jung Ill to get him to move on this, short of giving them all of our nuclear weapons or missile technology. We don't know why talks broke down. I doubt it was because Kerry was timid.

Two, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TILLERSON PROMISED THEM other than to send them Dennis Rodman. That would be a good trade, IMO.

[get the red out]

29. True on that part

And, yes, they can keep Dennis.

[nini]

22. I am having a hard time giving a shit about people ..

.. who put themselves in those positions. As a parent I understand the pain but let's get real - the son went into the country where the leader is well known for torture etc..

Now if he's blaming Obama... fuck him. Don't be blaming Obama when the kid went into hostile territory like that in the first place.

[gopiscrap]

23. agreed

[HipChick]

25. Exactly....

[dalton99a]

38. (1) Don't go to North Korea. (2) When you're in North Korea, don't piss them off

The kid made two very bad choices.

[nini]

40. going there is one thing..

pissing them off? not smart at all.

I'm surprised he wasn't shot for that. They are not rational after all with things.

[gopiscrap]

24. Sounds like the family is full of fucking republicans

[leftyladyfrommo]

30. Who knows what that poor kid went through.

People are crazy to go to NK.