US court awards family of Otto Warmbier $240K seized from North Korean bank | NK News
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October 15, 2026Oct 15, 2026

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US court awards family of Otto Warmbier $240K seized from North Korean bank

Ruling follows 2018 district court decision to award Warmbier family half a billion dollars in wrongful death suit

A U.S. court has awarded the family of Otto Warmbier $240,000 seized from a North Korean bank, court documents show, in what amounts to the latest victory in the family’s quest to hold Pyongyang to account for their son’s tragic death after 17 months in DPRK custody.

According to records from the Northern District Court of New York, Judge Lawrence Kahn approved the seizure on Jan. 13 after Pyongyang and the Korea Kwangson Banking Corporation (KKBC) failed to reply to the court’s request for forfeiture.

“Judgment is hereby ordered in favor of the Plaintiffs/Judgment Creditors Cynthia Warmbier and Frederick Warmbier