Warmbier's death further dims prospect of Trump's meeting with NK leader: White House

WASHINGTON -- The death of American student Otto Warmbier following his comatose release from North Korea has further dimmed the prospect of US President Donald Trump meeting with the North's leader, the White House said Tuesday.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer made the remark at a regular press briefing, noting that Trump expressed his willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un only in the context of the "right conditions."

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer holds the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2017. (UPI-Yonhap)

"Clearly, we're moving further away, not closer to, those conditions being intact. So I would not suggest that we're moving any closer," Spicer said in response to a question if Trump is still open to meeting with the North's leader.

"Obviously, this is an issue that ... troubles him deeply," he said, referring to Warmbier's death.

Spicer also said that the US will continue to work with China to increase pressure on the North. (Yonhap)