Do you think the US diplomatic community will successfully negotiate the release of jailed American Otto Warmbier?

The North Koreans will of course use this poor dupe to extort whatever possible from the United States. It won’t be the “diplomatic community ” that will negotiate the man’s freedom if or when it comes. We will either allow some crumb or other to be extorted from us, or threaten behind the scenes to punish the North in some way that matters.

Not for at least a few years.

He broke a law in NK. If a foreign national broke a law in the U.S, most Americans would expect the perp to do time until he was deported, and would not be open to diplomatic negotiation for early release.

Doubtful. The US tends to be selective on how it wields its negotiation power, and some dumbshit student probably isn’t worth it.

Norway left two men of dubious intentions to rot in a Congo jail. One died 3 years ago. They rolled the dice.

The kid is a geopolitical pawn in a big game right now (also the former South Korean, now American citizen who was recently – within the last few days, I believe – sentenced to ten years at hard labor for “spying for South Korea”).

The US State Department has much bigger issues with North Korea than a stupid kid who was “legally” convicted of a “crime” in North Korea, but the Norks know the value that we place on individual lives – so they will extort whatever they can so that a future American president and Secretary of State (probably not the current ones) can demonstrate their care for American citizens abroad. But the Norks will hold that pawn (those pawns) until the most opportune time for them to release him (or them).

If you willingly go to a country and break their laws then you deserve the punishment for it. What kind of idiot goes to N. Korea?

By that logic, @tinyfaery, one could support the Holocaust. Not that I’m accusing you of that, but… it’s the same logic. The exact same logic.

The kid was an idiot for doing what he did and we as a country would look foolish for trying to interfere with the NK penal system. Good time to send a message to our youngins that stupid stunts will get you in serious trouble and crying like a baby won’t get you out of paying the price for your stoopid moves. .

@CWOTUS

That’s a hell of a logical leap you’re making there.

Not the same logic. Try again.