A former US diplomat confirmed Monday that North Korea asked for USD 2 million to release an American student who had fallen into a coma after alleged torture -- and said Washington should pay it.
Joseph Yun, a veteran US diplomat who had flown to Pyongyang in 2017 to bring back 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, said that North Korea presented him with a bill for his medical expenses.
He said he called up then secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who he believed then sought a green light directly from President Donald Trump.
Tillerson "got back to me very quickly thereafter to say, yes, go ahead and sign," Yun, who has since left government, told CNN.
The Washington Post first reported the payment demand, after which Trump, describing himself as "the greatest hostage negotiator" in US history, tweeted that nothing was paid to North Korea.
But Yun said that Trump's decision means that the United States should pay.
"If you've signed, if you promised another government from the US government that .
