The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday confirmed the release of an American student who had been jailed for anti-DPRK activities.
"U.S. citizen Otto Frederack Warmbier, who had been in hard labor, was sent back home on June 13, 2017 on humanitarian grounds according to the adjudication made on the same day by the Central Court of DPRK," said the Korean Central News Agency in a report.
Warmbier flew home Wednesday after the release, which earlier media reports suggested was the outcome of secret negotiations between the DPRK and the United States.
The release also came after the arrival of retired American professional basketball star Dennis Rodman in Pyongyang Tuesday on a good-will visit.
The 21-year-old student from Virginia University was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 for anti-DPRK activities during his stay in Pyongyang.
