III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 623 

Commemorating Otto Frederick Warmbier and condemning the North Korean 

regime for their continued human rights abuses. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 16, 2020 

Mr. PORTMAN (for himself and Mr. BROWN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating Otto Frederick Warmbier and condemning 

the North Korean regime for their continued human 

rights abuses. 

Whereas Otto Frederick Warmbier was born on December 

12, 1994, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Fred and Cindy 

Warmbier; 

Whereas, upon his graduation as Salutatorian from Wyoming 

High School in 2013, Otto attended the University of 

Virginia; 

Whereas, on December 29, 2015, Otto flew to North Korea 

as part of a guided tour; 

Whereas, on January 2, 2016, the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea arrested Otto 


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•SRES 623 IS 

Warmbier on false charges of ‘‘subversion’’ and committing a ‘‘hostile act’’; 

Whereas, on March 16, 2016, Otto Warmbier was convicted 

and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor; 

Whereas, as a result of his mistreatment at the hands of 

North Korean authorities, Otto Warmbier suffered a serious medical emergency which placed him into a comatose 

state, and the North Korean authorities failed to report 

the deterioration of Otto Warmbier’s physical condition 

to United States authorities; 

Whereas, on June 13, 2017, after 17 months in captivity, the 

United States Department of State announced that it 

had secured the release of Otto Warmbier, whereupon he 

was medically evacuated from North Korea in a comatose 

state to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center; 

Whereas, on June 19, 2017, Otto Warmbier died in the hospital as a result of his mistreatment at the hands of the 

Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of 

Korea; 

Whereas, on December 24, 2018, the United States District 

Court for the District of Columbia concluded that the 

Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of 

Korea was responsible for the ‘‘torture, hostage taking, 

and extrajudicial killing’’ of Otto Warmbier; 

Whereas, on December 18, 2019, in an annual resolution, the 

United Nations General Assembly condemned ‘‘the longstanding and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross 

violations of human rights in and by’’ North Korea; and 

Whereas, on December 20, 2019, the Otto Warmbier North 

Korea Nuclear Sanctions and Enforcement Act of 2019 


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•SRES 623 IS 

(title LXXI of Public Law 116–92), was enacted: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That, in recognition of the 3rd anniversary 

2 of Otto Warmbier’s passing on June 19, 2020, the Sen3 ate— 

4 (1) remembers and celebrates the life of Otto 

5 Frederick Warmbier, a young man with great poten6 tial; 

7 (2) condemns the Government of the Demo8 cratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is respon9 sible for the unjustified arrest, mistreatment, and 

10 death of Otto Warmbier; 

11 (3) calls for the United States Government to 

12 continue to use its voice and vote in the United Na13 tions to condemn systematic human rights violations 

14 in North Korea; and 

15 (4) calls for the sanctions enacted in the Otto 

16 Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions and En17 forcement Act of 2019 (title LXXI of Public Law 

18 116–92) to remain fully implemented until such time 

19 that the Government of the Democratic People’s Re20 public of Korea commits to the verifiable suspension 

21 of its proliferation and testing of weapons of mass 

22 destruction, and has agreed to multilateral talks, in23 cluding the United States Government, with the goal 

24 of permanently and verifiably limiting North Korea’s 


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•SRES 623 IS 

1 weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile 

2 programs. 

Æ 


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