President Donald Trump said the US has learned a lot over the last couple of days after the abrupt end of his summit with Kim Jong Un and said again, “I had to walk, because every once in a while, you have to walk.”
He said North Korea had said it was “willing to do much less on the sanction front. But you see, that’s not what happened there. So already I think we’re negotiating.”
Amid the controversy following President Trump saying he took Kim’s word regarding former prisoner Otto Warmbier who died after he came back to the US, Trump said “I’m in such a horrible position. Because in one way I have to negotiate. In the other way, I love Mr. and Mrs. Warmbier. And I love Otto. And it’s a very, very delicate balance.”
On Friday, Warmbier's parents released a statement following Trump's words that he took Kim at his word that he did not know about Warmbier's treatment in a North Korean prison.
"We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that. Thank you,"
Trump said later Friday his words were "misinterpreted" and that he did hold North Korea responsible for Otto's death just days after he was returned to the US.