Senators ask State to designate North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism

A dozen senators have sent a letter to the State Department asking that North Korea be added to its list of state sponsors of terrorism amid a push by the parents of an American college student who died after being imprisoned in the country for more than a year.

USA Today first reported that the senators — six Republicans and six Democrats — sent the letter at the urging of Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of Otto Warmbier, who died earlier this year just days after returning to the U.S. from North Korea.

“This is something the Warmbiers are very interested in,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) told USA Today. He led the letter alongside Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). 

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A State Department spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the department has received the letter and is reviewing the request.

“We have received the letter, are reviewing it, and will respond,” the spokesperson said. 

Among the senators to sign the request were Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). 

The Warmbiers called for North Korea to be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism in an interview on “Fox & Friends” last month, accusing the country’s authoritarian government of kidnapping and torturing their son. 

“We see North Korea claiming to be a victim and that the world is picking on them. And we’re here to tell you North Korea is not a victim, they’re terrorists,” Fred Warmbier said.

According to USA Today, the Warmbiers have met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, including Portman and Brown, to discuss the matter. 

Currently, only three countries are listed as state sponsors of terrorism by the State Department: Iran, Syria and Sudan. North Korea was included on the list from 1988 until 2008, when the George W. Bush administration removed it as part of an agreement with Pyongyang to curb the country’s nuclear weapons development.

In order for a country to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, the secretary of State must determine that the country’s government has repeatedly provided support for international terrorism. 

“These designations are made after careful review of all available evidence to determine if a country meets the statutory standard,” the State Department spokesperson said.

“The Department of State will take immediate action if credible evidence supports North Korea’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism under the statutory criteria.”

Otto Warmbier, 22, was arrested in North Korea in 2016, accused of attempting to steal a propaganda poster from a hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years hard labor. 

The University of Virginia student was returned to the U.S. in a coma in June after 17 months of imprisonment. He died days later. An Ohio coroner said last week that his death was due to a lack of blood and oxygen to the brain.