Transcripts For KGO 2020 20170624

Tonight, our 20 20 cameras at the tour group that arranging those risky north korean trips. Can we talk to you guys . No. Are you pushing me out . Why would you take people into a place that you know is so dangerous . Bob woodruff takes us inside a forbidden world. Right across the river is north korea, and it is absolutely dark. The secret talks for Otto Warmbiers release. What really happened in those 17 months of captivity . I have to tell you something publicly. Vent really said and what about that mysterious offlimits fifth floor in Otto Warmbiers hotel . Every single day, i asked if i could see the place where hes alleged to have taken down that poster. Dont, the friends who knew him best. Their question their outrage and their goodbyes. Thats a video that should be shown. You can see his smiling from ear to ear. Thats otto. Good evening, im david muir. Elizabeth is back next week. Tonight, right here, the part of the story you havent heard. The extraordinary loss for a mother and father who had not seen their son in 17 months. Returned to their from north korea with severe brain damage. This evening, that breaking headline out of north korea. Theyre now saying they did not hurt him. In fact, they claim that theyre the victim. Tonight, bob woodruff who has reported from north korea so many times, with what we now know about this extraordinary case, as he pieces together the mystery. Reporter after a long, heartrending journey home, 22yearold Otto Warmbier was laid to rest. Thousands of loved ones honoring a young man whose promise seemed limitless. Mourners wiping away tears, as the hearse wound its way through town to the cemetery. His friends now speaking out for the first time. To now have the opportunity to explain what type of a guy he was, and what he meant to us, each one of us, were just really grateful for that, because he was just the best guy. Reporter and on display at the funeral, the quiet testimonies of ottos belongings, shoes, his wallet, his passport, his jacket. Relics of a journey that began with hope and ended in horror. I net down by his side and i hugged him and i told him i missed him and i was so glad that he made it home. Its just not acceptable and unthinkable. Its a nightmare, really. Reporter december 29th, 2015. Otto warmbier was aboard an old soviet jet, crossing into north korean air space. Ive made that trip, too, eight times, in fact, where the onboard announcements welcome you to a nation state which is also a state of mind. Pyongyang is the capital of the juche korea, the might of korea is well known to the world. Reporter immediately otto and his travel group hit the ground running, going on a guided tour of pyongyang, the countrys capital. On billboards everywhere, former leader leaders. Agustin feliciano made a similar trip two months before otto. We would see normal North Koreans Walking Around on the street, people going to work, coming home from work, soldiers going to and from. Reporter its a city teeming with military. The worlds fourth largest army. Children everywhere, walking in formation, singing praise for their nation. There would be a couple times when we would be, like, is that staged . Reporter like the glorious little children at the pyongyang nursery school. And what are they singing . This is the song of general kim ilsu ilsung. As we watch, we are struck by the uniform smiles, the sin cronized movements. This might not be the average tourists idea of a perfect vacation, but Otto Warmbier wasnt the average tourist. He just loved traveling in general. He just had this sense of curiosity about him. He was never afraid of anything. Reporter ottos hometown is the small cincinnati suburb of wyoming, ohio. All american, affluent, known for its top notch schools and tidy treelined streets. My colleague linzie janis went to visit. Were a close community. A tight knit community . A tight knit community. We look at the warm beibiers as part of our family. Reporter the family, ottos mom cindy, his dad fred, who owns a Metal Finishing company and his two younger siblings, austin and greta. Otto, a prom king and soccer star, grew up with this group of high school friends, spending hours together in this basement hangout. And you guys spent a lot of time here with otto . Every weekend probably. Yeah. He had that special ability to be able to make you feel like you were the only person in the room. He was charismatic . Oh, my gosh. Yes. Funny . Hilarious. Hes so intelligent, but he never made you feel stupid. Which was amazing. He never bragged. Oh, my god. He would get the highest on every test and he would never tell anybody. Reporter todd siler was ottos favorite teacher. I thought he was putting me on, the first month of class. I thought, this guys so enthusiastic, he really cant be this excited about u. S. History. But otto was a thinking. Reporter otto graduated second in his class and was selected to give a speech at graduation. He showed love to his small town roots, but seemed ready to explore. This is our last day together as wyoming high schools class of 2013. Tomorrow morning, we will all belong to another class, another job or another city. No matter where we go or what we do, though, we will always have this group here. Reporter after heading off to the university of virginia, otto hopscotched the globe, visiting cuba, israel and ecuador. During his junior year, he embarked on a Study Program in asia. Ottos father would later show fox news Tucker Carlson what he had packed for his trip. Hes got his uva notebook. Yeah, his passport. This was otto. Most o ts stuff wld have been bought at a thrift store. He loved that. Hes got a taste for zany shirts. He does. And he looked good in them. Reporter but then, otto made a fateful discovery. One which led to a fateful decision. He found a travel group called young pioneer tours based in china and specializing in tours to north korea. In this promotional video, a tour guide describes the journey. North korea is a tenminute walk that way. Here we are in pyongyang now. There seems to be an atmosphere on Fun Associated with this trip, lets go to north korea on a lark. Reporter anna fifield is the washington posts tokyo bureau chief. She says Young Pioneers tapped into the adventurous wanderlust of people like otto. Their slogan is tours to destinations your mother doesnt want you to go to. So they are really playing up the whole idea this is off the beaten track. Reporter ottos plan was a fiveday trip, costing more than 1,000, billed as the new years party tour. An odd name for a trip into a rogue nation nicknamed the hermit kingdom. Its the ultimate forbidden country left in the world. Its sort of the forbidden fruit. So, i think thats thats the cause for excitement for why people want to visit. Do you guys remember the first time he said, hey, i want to go to north korea . I was excited for him. Hes otto. Another otto thing to do. Just go wherever, you know . Just to craziest place you could think of. Reporter after touching down in pyongyang with the Young Pioneers, ottos itinerary scheduled like clockwork. On day two, his group of about two dozen traveled two hours to kaesong and the demilitarized zone. From there, it was onto sariwon city, to interact with locals. Andrew byrne took the Young Pioneers tour to north korea just this spring. He says, before you go, they tell you the rules to be followed. They brief you on how to behave, what not to do. Whats expected of you. Theres no room for making fun of the kims or taking a photo thats not polite of kim ilsung or kim jongil. Reporter and for tourists, there are always minders. They move you through attraction after attraction very quickly. Its like checking off boxes. Reporter but otto seemed to be soaking it all in. Ready . All right. Ready to throw it at me . Reporter even having a snowball fight with local north korean kids. How would you describe the otto in that footage . Joyful. Joyful. Hes having fun. He was doing what he always did. And what he was best at. Thats otto. Reporter so far, the north korea trip is everything otto had dreamed of. But in pyongyang, there are places you just dont go. And one of them was right here. The mysterious fifth floor of ottos hotel. We were kind of given full reign of the hotel, except for one floor. The elevator skipped floor number five. One, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. So, we were told, dont even try to get to the fifth floor. Reporter and those acced of trespassing learn the hard way. You can check out any time you look, but you can never leave. Stay with us. Ason that these two should not be wed, speak now. coughs so sorry. Oh no. 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Young pioneer tours approach to appeal to younger people is very much one of, lets go have fun in north korea, drink some north korean beer. Reporter and based on photos on instagram, it appears the founder of young pioneer tours, gareth johnson, likes to chug. And on his arm, a version of the north korean symbol. Its fine for vacationers to throw back a couple, but reportedly those on the trip with otto say the tour guides were also indulging. A regular pattern, stone fish says. The problems have been with young pioneer is some sort of recklessness, not enough paying attention to the tourists theyre supposed to protect. Reporter others tourists have said the guides were professional. The hotel where otto stayed, though typically reserved for Foreign Government officials, its located on an island, isolating most visitors. But as rowan, a manager at Young Pioneers, shows in this youtube video, there is plenty to do. Were going to show you all the facilities and everything this hotel has to offer for all the tourists that come into pyongyang in north korea. Lets go. 25 meter lap pool, its heated. Reporter the swimming pool, Bowling Alley two lanes have recently been renovated. Reporter and a mini mart, to stock up on those travel necessities. Water, more beer, coffee, korean lollies. Reporter but conspicuously missing from this video, the fifth floor. In fact, its kind of missing altogether. We were kind of given full reign of the hotel, except for one floor. The elevator skipped number five. One, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. So, we were told, dont even try to get to the fifth floor. Rorter we are told the fifth floor is for staff only. Offlimits to guests. What actually happens there is the source of rumors, most of them unnerving. Its where they keep the surveillance equipment, where they use to bug all of the rooms. It was a floor unlike any other floor in that hotel. So, this is a video of our excursion to the fifth floor. Reporter travel blogger calvin sun didnt want to speculate. He wanted to see it. So, in 2011, he and some friends snuck onto the fifth floor serious fifth floor. Reporter and videotaped it. What goes on here, nobody knows. The floor you go onto from four to five has paintings. Reporter its not artwork but rather propaganda on the wall. Military first. Powerful nation, reads one. But perhaps the most disturbing is this, featuring a bomb with usa on it. Revenge hundred times, a thound times, to american wolves. Calvin and h friends had n trouble on the fifth floor that night, but others might not be so lucky. New years eve, 2015. Olt toe, he otto, headed to kim ilsung square for fireworks. We see this scene in 2016, in a youtube video. Were here in kim ilsung square and it is absolutely packed with people. Happy new year from pyongyang they were out in this big square. Just seemed like a fun, festive atmosphere. Reporter on the eye tent rare for the next morning, a chopper tour of pyongyang. Probably over the same spot eye saw from the air last year. I cant tell exactly how old this helicopter is, but its working. And later he was posing for pictures at the grand monument. This one posted on twitter. And these others obtained exclusively by dailymail. Com. Look at how the strapping, allamerican towering over the local north korean women, seemingly a fitting finale to his adventure in north korea. At the airport, me and otto were the last two through security. And he simply had a tap on the shoulder. Reporter Danny Gratton was ottos roomate during the trip. Two guards took him away, and i sort of laughingly said to him, thats the last well ever see of you. And because we got on so well, otto turned around and just chuckled at me. Reporter gratton says that was last time anyone saw otto. The tour group was told he was sick and needed treatment, so they left without him. The company says they made numerous attempts to get information about otto, but for nearly three weeks, no word publicly, until the dreaded news breaks. Breaking news overnight. An American College he was arrested while perpetrating a hostile act. They are not saying anymore than that. To hear your friends name on National Television and really you dont really ever get accustomed to that. Otto warmbier was charged with hostile acts against the state, which is a kind of catchall charge that north korea levels against people who have done anything. Reporter and what exactly did otto do . The North Koreans point to this surveillance video. They say thats otto on that infamous forbidden fifth floor of the yanggakdo hotel, attempting to steal one of those propaganda posters. But the video is so grainy, nobody really knows if its him. Its unprecedented to do somethingle to a poster with t dear leader on it . Its punishment. Reporter the following month, he was marched in front of tv cameras and made his socalled confession. I understand the severity of my crime and i have no idea what sort of penalty i may face. The confession that Otto Warmbier gave before the cameras early last year, it seemed scripted for him. I never should have allowed myself to be allured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country. He admitted to a really bizarre range of things, like belonging to a secret society, stealing this poster on orderers from somebody in a church. Its incredibly clear that it was a performance. Please. I have made the worst mistake of my life. Reporter for his friends, watching it back home in america, the only thing real were his tears. Another month passed and otto appeared in a north korean court. This time, to learn his fate. North korea runs these kind of sham trials. Yes, it was less than one hour, otto had no defense, you know, he was guilty before he went into this. Please think of my family. I am the oldest son in my family. Reporter 21yearold Otto Warmbier is sentenced to 15 years in prison, hard labor. The adventurous and curious College Student who came to north korea to have fun, throwing snowballs with kids, now in handcuffs, head down. When we come back, what is life like in a north korean prison . This american knows and lived to tell. They said, well simply cut off your head and bury you somewhere an no one will find you. Reporter next. If y want to be a world traveler, start by. Ooh, is that a galaxy s8 . Handsome screen. Anyway, you wanna pack that, your passport and. Oh ok, were moving fast. To get around the city take the city bus. Thats not a bus. Youll need a tour guide. Apparently not. Dont forget a big camera. Or that phone will work. Traveling by yourself can be lonely. And. Youve already made friends. Huh. Youre fancy. Shopping can be difficult if you dont know the language. Oh never mind, your camera speaks spanish hold up. 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We have some congestion on the runway and im being told itll be another 15, maybe 20 minutes, and we will have you on your way. Runway models on the runway . Surprising. Whats not surprising . How much money evan savedby sw. I would not wear that lace. Hmm, i dont know . Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. Reporter seoul, south korea. A teeming, hightech metropolis birthplace of that 21st century classic gangnam style reporter gangnam style. A stark contrast to life just 35 miles north, across the border, call it pyongyang style. This satellite video tells it all. South korea, ablaze with lights at night. The north, grim and dark. Right across the river is north korea, and it is absolutely dark. Theres no other country thats like north korea thats left in the world. In fact, i would say the whole country is a slave state. We have 25 Million People who are imprisoned. Reporter this man knows all about the enslavement of the north, and the kind of ordeal Otto Warmbier may hav faced. Hes american kenneth bae, now living in seoul, after spending over two years imprisoned in the north. Bae was leading a tour of north korea in 2014 when he ran into trouble with the authorities accused of supposed hostile acts against the regime. Just like otto, bae was sentenced to 15 years hard labor. I was devastated to find out what happened to otto. I just cannot imagine what he was going through at the time, knowing that hes actually going to prison in north cree yard for 15 years. Reporter kenneth bae and Otto Warmbier had been caught up in the capricious, brutal world of north korean justice. Infractions as minor as not showing the proper affection for the dear leader kim jongun can earn you a oneway ticket to the gulag of secret prison camps known as kwanliso. These camps are places of unimaginable suffering. Theyre the very machinery of a a widespread and Systematic Campaign of enslavement and of executions. Reporter Scott Edwards of Amnesty International says the facilities are so secretive, the only way to see what they look like is from space, through satellite imagery. Whats this were looking at here . So, this is one of these political prison camps that amnesty has recently imaged. This area is about the size of all of new york city. Theres another one up here in the north, kwanliso 16. Its about three times the size of d. C. Reporter edwards says within these gargantuan facilities whole industries are devoted to slave labor. The different areas are different sorts of commercial or agricultural or mining activity. What goes on in the camps that isntisible from space is torture, is the intentional starving of populations. Its infanticide. Its rape. Its mutilation. Reporter how do you know this . We know, primarily, from the testimony of those who have left the camps. Reporter although no photos exist of camp conditions, former prisoners have sketched scenes of the grim reality of life inside. Witnesses actually described literal torture chambers, stress positions. People told of forging for whatever they could find, eating frogs, finding mice to field to infants. One of these drawings actually shows, you know, the rendition of bodies being carted off to presumably a crematorium. Reporter there he goes. Of course, to that dear leader, americans like otto are too valuable as political tools to be subject to the wanton killing in these labor camps. But while they escape the biggest horrors, their fate is still tied to the whims of the regime and its irrational notions of what punishment fits the crime. It depends. There have been some americans that have talked about being abused. There are others that have said they are treated properly. It varies. Reporter take the case of american jeff fowle, who was convicted in north korea in 2014 after deliberately leaving a bible behind at a night club. Fowle was detained at that same mysterious luxury hotel, the yanggakdo, where otto was staying. After just a sixmonth stay at the hotel and at a guest house, fowle was allowed to go home. I interviewed him after his release. How did they treat you physically . Physically, i was not abused at all. I got three meals a day. Reporter was it pretty good food . What they served their guests. Reporter but there was no luxury hotel for kenneth bae he was sent to a laboramp specificlyeserved for foreigners. I was carrying maybe coal from one place to the other, or carrying rock or digging the hole and any type of manual labor, i have to endure ten hours a day for six days a week. Reporter why the harsh treatment . Its because bae was on a mission to spread the word of god in north korea through his tour group. Why is north korea so afraid of christianity . In north korea, do you know theres only one religion . Its worshipping the leader kim ilsung. We are afraid of someone like you coming in, trying to convert our people or influence our people with your religions, because if this spreads, our country will fall. Reporter kenneth bae languished for 735 days in captivity, the longest held american prisoner ever. Bae confessed that he had committed serious crimes against the regime, after extensive negotiations with the u. S. , the North Koreans finally released him in november of 2014. Today, bae is involved with a Human Rights Group in south korea, determined to help get the remaining three american prisoners held in north korea released without the tragedy consequences of ottos case. What happened to otto should not happen again. I do believe that something can come out from it. And impact the people in north korea and also all the detain needs that are waiting to come home. Reporter when we come back, the dangerous diplomatic dance to win ottos release. The heartbreak of his homecoming, and the medical mystery of what happened to him in north korean custody. This is an international outrage. Outrage. Reporter stay with us. Le, roooooaaar want our whole house to be filled with entertainment. Easy boy but we dont want annual contracts and hardware. You scoundrel we just want to stream live tv. And we want it for 10 dollars a month. batman raspy wow. Id like that in my house. Its a very big house. Yeah, mine too. Look at us. Just two bros with sick houses. High five. Directv now. A big streaming deal for 10 a month. Its entertainment your way. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Got any ideas . Ting you . Not all products work the same. My owner gives me k9 advantix ii. It kills all three through contact. No biting required. So they dont have to bite . Thats right. No biting required. K9 advantix ii. Wise choice. We come into this world needi others. 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Reporter after Otto Warmbiers trial, the North Koreans made sure the College Student disappeared from sight. Nobody has seen or heard from otto since march of 2016. Nobody. Reporter in the beginning, father Fred Warmbier was also out of sight, part of a strategic silence requested by the Obama Administration and the warmbiers adviser. I gave them the same advice that id given to other families. They needed to be careful about things that they might say that might cause the North Koreans to react very angrily and badly. We were advised that it was important that you dont upset the North Koreans. Reporter it was a tactical maneuver. One of many of both sides. Because as ottos family and friends were agonizing back in ohio, north korea and the u. S. Were playing a game of geopolitical chess, in which the 21yearold was just a pawn. After they arrested otto, four days later, there was a Fourth Nuclear test. North korea saying they have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. It takes weeks to prepare such a test so, they had in mind that they were going to do Nuclear Tests and theres going to be sanctions that follow. Reporter what did kim jongun get out of this if they throw americans in prison . It would blunt any kind of heavy pressure from United States if you have american hostages. Like you maybe americans will not conduct a military strike. Reporter like a bargaining chip . Yes, absolutely a bargaining chip. Usually, what the North Koreans have wanted is humanitarian assistance of some kind. Food, rice, in exchange. Reporter former new mexico 2k3w governor Bill Richardson now runs a foundation aimed at rescuing political prisoners. Reporter but with kim jongun, this new leader, we dont know what he wants. He stays silent. One of the very first things that i said to the warmbier family was that the North Koreans will let otto come home when they are done with him. When he is of no longer value to them. Reporter journalist anna fifield heads to that Notorious Hotel in pyongyang, looking for answers, finding only frustration. I asked if i could see the place where hes alleged to have take down that poster. And there was just nothing. No news whatsoever coming out of the north korean system. Reporter ottos father, fred, works tirelessly to get his son back. Weve been to washington, d. C. Over a dozen times. Weve met our senators, our congressmen, weve worked with governor richardson. My organization worked with the family. Briefed them. Tried to get ottout. Reporr the response . North koreans stiffed me. They never said yes. They never said no. Reporter i was back in north korea myself last september. Driving two hours south, we arrive at the demilitarized zone. So, heres the line. On the other side is south korea . I met with the director general, high ranking official who told me americans like otto will be treated as prisoners of war. They began calling the americans that they had in custody prisoners of war. All belts were off in terms of the the rules that they were required to follow. Reporter back in ohio, the family was running out of patience. While ottos friends prayed for his survival. If anyone can fight through it, its otto. He had the courage and bravery to do it. Thank you. Reporter then, in november, the u. S. Selected a new president. And the clash of the titans began. Both leaders are unpredictable. Right. Reporter both trump and kim jongun. Right. Reporter in february, the new president directed secretary of state Rex Tillerson to take all appropriate measures to bring otto home. As winter turned to spring, kim jongun was making his own headlines, with more missile testing and accusations he killed his own half brother. Kim jongun is more frightening. He seems to be more brutal. He seems to be more reckless. He has anger management issues. Hes acting very, very badly. I will tell you, hes acting very badly. Reporter the new administration views its predecessors north korea poll sill as Something Else to repeal and replace. The policy of strategic patience has ended. Reporter by april, the warmbier family has also changed its approach and broken its silence. John kerry was secretary of state at the time. Did h help you in any way . No. Absolutely not. Did anyone in the state Department Help you in any way . No. This sense of frustration and anger, ive heard it before, and i understand it. Reporter this past april, we were in north korea again, walking the super clean streets and hearing this chilling remark. Is it more dangerous now in terms of relationship between the u. S. And dprk than ever before . I can say that the situation of the Korean Peninsula is much more tense. Later that month, one week after parading its military might, the North Koreans detained another american tony kim. Detaining an american as he was leaving a Teaching Assignment there. Reporter was it an act of confidence or fear . Do you think theyre more afraid of trump than they were of previous president s . They might, just because the whole world thinks that mr. Trump is more unpredictable. Tonight, i ordered a targeted mill stair strike. Reporter and theyve seen what happened with syria, with the missile strike. So, im sure they are very nervous. Reporte reporter then, a year after stone walling, negotiations for ottos release begin. In may of this year, there were some of these talks. They were held in oslo. And at these talks we now know was joseph yun. Reporter joseph yun works for the state department, specializing in north korea policy, and suddenly, hes making progress. Ottos friends envisioning their friend returning for fr his imprisonment in triumph. Coming home to the basement, giving him a big hug, and hearing his stories. Reporter but within weeks, those hopes are dashed. Joseph yun is summoned to an urgent meeting at the u. N. It was at that meeting on june 6th that the North Koreans disclosed that Otto Warmbier was in a coma. Now we know why the North Koreans stiffed me. Otto was in a coma and they didnt want anybody to know. Reporter secretary tillerson immediately dispatched yun and his gulfstream 3 to the rogue nation with one order. Bring otto home. Yun immediately insisted with the North Koreans he be released on humanitarian grounds. Reporter and as ottos loved ones were anxiously awating his arrival, the horror of his maltreatment suddenly was so real as he was brought off the plane, limp and unconscious. We were all very hopeful, no matter what people were saying. So, i dont think we really fully grasped how serious it was. Reporter an exhausted father, wearing the same jacket otto wore at his trial, was relieved his son was home, but brissefuling at the North Koreans claim that this was a humanitarian act. They wouldnt do this out of the kindness of their hearts. North korea doesnt do anything out of the kindness of their hearts. I think the reason the North Koreans released him was because he was he looked like he was about to die. And they didnt want him to die in north korea. Reporter when we return, we track down the group that brought otto to north korea is this young pioneer tours . Reporter looking for answers. Friend daryl here is supposed to be Live Streaming the wedding and hes not getting any service. I missed, like, the whole thing. What . And i just got an unlimited plan. Its the right plan, wrong network. You see, verizon has the largest, most reliable 4g lte network in america. Its built to work better in cities. Tell you what, just use mine. Thanks. No problem. All right, lets go live. Say hi to everybody who wasnt invited vo en it reallyreally matters, you need the best network and the best unlimited. Just 45 per line for four lines. 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Their son, w was just returned from north korea with severe brain damage, has now died. Reporter it was not the High School Homecoming that Otto Warmbiers parents could ever have imagined. His funeral was held in the auditorium of his alma mater, cincinnatis wyoming high school, yesterday. On display, the jacket he wore on the north korean court, and the passport that ultimately did not save his life. We feel like we lost a son. He represents everything thats the best in our community and were just offering support for the family. Reporter after 18 months of helplessly following ottos captivity, reaction to his shocking end washed across social media. On everyones mind, what happened to him in north korea . At a press conference at the hospital in cincinnati, where he was briefly treated before his death, some clues were revealed. Our purpose today is to describe the medical and neurological condition of mr. Otto warmbier. Reporter it turns thut mri Images Supplied by the North Koreans showed that ottos injury was over a year old. The earliest images are dated april 2016. Based upon our analysis of those images, the brain injury likely occurred in the preceding weeks. Reporter thats just weeks after these images were shot of warmbier dragged from a north korean court. This pattern of brain injury, however, is usually seen as a result of cardiopulmonary arrest, where the blood supply to the brain is inadequate for a period of time, resulting in the deatof brain tissue. Reporter what caused that brain injury . After doctors ran a battery of tests, they could narrow the possibilities. Is it possible that hid his was beaten and that caused brain injury . They did not see any evidence of fracture. Reporter dr. Arianne lewis of New York University is a neurologist. She did not personally examine otto. If he was hit on the left side of the brain, the tissues would be damaged on that side, but not the entire brain . Correct. If he was hit on the left side of the brain, then you would expect there to be a big injury on the left side, not something that was a global process throughout the entire brain. Reporter the North Koreans had claimed that this was a case of botulism combined with a sleeping pill. But you say you didnt find any evidence whatsoever of botulism at all . Thats correct. Yeah. Reporter but dr. Lewis says, even an autopsy, which ottos parents decided to forego, would likely not have solved the mystery. Theres nothing that can be looked at from a pathological perspective to say heres exactly the sequence of events that happened while over there. Reporter whatever the truth, many wonder why young pioneer tours would offer a trip like this. In a statement to us, they noted that none of the previous travellers who had been detained in north korea had suffered such tragic finality. Still, they will no longer be organized tours for u. S. Citizens to north korea and they expressed their deepest sympathies to the warmbier family. For more answers, we sent an abc producer here to china. Down this dark hallway, he found the young pioneer tour offices. Is this young pioneer tour reporter the sff didnt exactly give him a fivestar welcome. I. So, im with abc news. Can we talk to you guys . No. Can we is there anyone available to talk to the camera . No. We released a statement and thats all we have to say. Are you seriously pushing me out . I just asked nicely who can i talk to . Is there anyone i can contact . Our media officer. Weve been trying to contact him for the past few days. Keep trying. Reporter up next, could ottos death be the Tipping Point in a dangerous high stakes International Game . 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Reporter ottos now all too familiar perp walk was reprised only a month later, in the same courtroom by another american. Thats businessman kim dongchul, one of the three Americans Still detained in north korea. The other two are College Professors tony kim and kim haksong. We still have three americans left there that need to come home, and we need to get them out. Reporter former governor bill rich,ardson h negotiated with the regime in the past, has a stern warning to the estimated 1,000 americans traveling to north korea every year. Dont go to north korea. Its too dangerous. And you may end up like Otto Warmbier. Unjustly killed. This is a human being detained, 21 years old with a great family a grieving family. North korea should not get away with this. Reporter could an International Incident like the death of otto ignite a larger conflict . Do you think theres any chance of a u. S. Military attack . Over 10,000 artillery pieces is 60 seconds away from seoul. We have some 20 Million People living there. We have some 200,000 american expats living there. We have 28,500 american soldiers living there. You so, just forget about the nuclear weapon, just conventi conventional artillery alone can devastate seoul. So, this is not really an option that we can pursue. Reporter when i visited north korea earlier this year, the vice foreign minister gave me a chilling hint of the regimes state of mind. Theres this old korean saying that if somebody points a gun at you, youll point the gun back, but if we offer you a rice cake, youll offer a rice cake back. Do you think in this condition right now, do you think are we going to have peace with a cake or are we going to have a bullet . Translator the exact expression is that if america pulls out a knife, we will pull out a sword and if america puts out a gun, we will pull out a cannon. Reporter so, what other options are on the table . The u. S. Will likely keep up its reported Cyber Attacks on north koreas missile system, while continuing to push for chinas cooperation in the region. China accounts for roughly 90 of north koreas trade. China is our ally in an effort to quell north korea, but they still havent done enough. Reporter more likely, the next stepould be economic sanctions against chinese banks that do business with north korea. Think of the north korean regime as a large mafia family. They make their money off of everything illicit. Drugs, cigarettes, money laundering, arms smuggling. The u. S. Will go in and try to stop those, cut those off and essentially cut the life blood of the north korean economy off. Reporter and as america mourns ottos death i wish there was a way to know that you are in the good old days before you actually left them. Reporter his friends are remembering his bright spirit. He said, well always have each other, talking about our class, and i think now more than ever thats really really showing to be true, and otto would want that. And we will have the reruns, the memories we created to be played over and over again. Thank you. Otto warmbier in his own words. Those words his mother and father, his entire family will hold onto. Our thanks to bob woodruff tonight. And that is 20 20 for this evening. Thank you for watching. Im david muir. For Elizabeth Vargas and all of us here at 20 20, have a good evening. Good night. Next at 11 00, bride weekend under way. Security on high alert as hub dreads of thousands get