The director of the North Korean hospital that treated Otto Warmbier, the US student who died after being held in the country, rejected fresh allegations that he was tortured in custody.

The 22-year-old was jailed in the North for more than a year and was released in a comatose state in 2017 but died shortly after returning home.

The exact cause of his death remains unknown but a recent US media report claimed there was new evidence that he was beaten by the regime.

The director of the Pyongyang Friendship Hospital -- which treated Warmbier -- slammed the claims as a "total distortion of the truth" in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency late Saturday.

"The American doctors who came to the DPRK to help Warmbier's repatriation acknowledged that his health indicators were all normal and submitted a letter of assurance to our hospital," it said, using North Korea's official acronym.

"Now the question is: what is the ulterior motive of those American doctors trying to make a different story at this point in time with regard to the cause of Warmbier's death," the statement added.

The KCNA statement came hours after the Voice of America carried a report on a lawsuit filed by Warmbier's parents accusing the North Korean regime of torturing and murdering their son.

The report cited Warmbier's former dentists saying there was evidence of trauma to his teeth and a neurologist who treated him after his return from detention and said the student suffered "extensive" brain damage.

North Korea has denied torturing Warmbier and claims he contracted botulism in detention.

Warmbier was arrested for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel during a trip to North Korea and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.

After lengthy negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, he was released last year but died in less than a week.

US President Donald Trump accused Pyongyang of brutally abusing the student but later praised the North's leader Kim Jong Un as "very honourable" following a historic summit in Singapore in June.

Rights groups have criticised the rapid diplomatic thaw on the peninsula, saying it has overshadowed widespread human rights abuses rampant in North Korea.

The Kim family has ruled the impoverished, nuclear-armed nation with a pervasive personality cult and stands accused of a litany of state-sanctioned rights abuses including torture, rape, execution and brutal crackdowns on dissent.

The director of the North Korean hospital that treated Otto Warmbier, the US student who died after being held in the country, rejected fresh allegations that he was tortured in custody.

The director of the North Korean hospital that treated Otto Warmbier, the US student who died after being held in the country, rejected fresh allegations that he was tortured in custody. The 22-year-old was jailed in the North for more than a year and was released in a comatose state in 2017 but died shortly after returning home. The exact cause of his death remains unknown but a recent US media report claimed there was new evidence that he was beaten by the regime. The director of the Pyongyang Friendship Hospital -- which treated Warmbier -- slammed the claims as a "total distortion of the truth" in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency late Saturday. "The American doctors who came to the DPRK to help Warmbier's repatriation acknowledged that his health indicators were all normal and submitted a letter of assurance to our hospital," it said, using North Korea's official acronym. "Now the question is: what is the ulterior motive of those American doctors trying to make a different story at this point in time with regard to the cause of Warmbier's death," the statement added. The KCNA statement came hours after the Voice of America carried a report on a lawsuit filed by Warmbier's parents accusing the North Korean regime of torturing and murdering their son. The report cited Warmbier's former dentists saying there was evidence of trauma to his teeth and a neurologist who treated him after his return from detention and said the student suffered "extensive" brain damage. North Korea has denied torturing Warmbier and claims he contracted botulism in detention. Warmbier was arrested for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel during a trip to North Korea and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour. After lengthy negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, he was released last year but died in less than a week. US President Donald Trump accused Pyongyang of brutally abusing the student but later praised the North's leader Kim Jong Un as "very honourable" following a historic summit in Singapore in June. Rights groups have criticised the rapid diplomatic thaw on the peninsula, saying it has overshadowed widespread human rights abuses rampant in North Korea. The Kim family has ruled the impoverished, nuclear-armed nation with a pervasive personality cult and stands accused of a litany of state-sanctioned rights abuses including torture, rape, execution and brutal crackdowns on dissent.

North Korea hospital director rejects Warmbier torture charges

Otto Warmbier, the US student released by North Korea in a coma last week after more than a year in detention, has died, his family said Monday.

The 22-year-old, who had suffered severe brain damage, was medically evacuated to the United States on June 13. He died Monday at 2:20 pm, surrounded by relatives in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio.&nbsp;

&quot;It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home,&quot; his family said in a statement. &nbsp;&quot;The awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible,&quot; they added.

US President Donald Trump released a statement, to&nbsp;offer&nbsp;condolences and&nbsp;&quot;condemning the brutality of the North Korean regime&quot;.

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Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier. Full statement: <a href="https://t.co/8kmcA6YtFD">https://t.co/8kmcA6YtFD</a> <a href="https://t.co/EhrP4BiJeB">pic.twitter.com/EhrP4BiJeB</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/876948721468141573">June 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Pyongyang said that Warmbier fell into a coma soon after he was sentenced in March of last year for stealing a political poster from a North Korean hotel. The regime claimed the young man fell into a coma after contracting botulism and being given a sleeping pill.&nbsp;

The US State Department published their&nbsp;formal response on the social media site Twitter.

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Secretary Tillerson: We hold <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NorthKorea?src=hash">#NorthKorea</a> accountable for Otto Warmbier&rsquo;s unjust imprisonment. <a href="https://t.co/MwHNCuUjyw">https://t.co/MwHNCuUjyw</a>
&mdash; Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/876937232065736706">June 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Doctors treating Warmbier said he had suffered extensive tissue loss in all regions of his brain, but showed no signs of physical trauma. Medical tests offered no conclusive evidence as to the cause of his neurological injuries, and no evidence of a prior botulism infection.

They said Warmbier&#39;s severe brain injury was most likely,&nbsp;given his young age, to have been caused by cardiopulmonary arrest cutting the blood supply to the brain.

Warmbier&#39;s father, Fred, lashed out at Kim Jong-Un&#39;s authoritarian state last week, telling a news conference, &quot;there is no excuse for any civilised nation to have kept his condition secret and denied him top-notch medical care for so long.&quot; In their statement Monday, Otto&#39;s family said they believed he had found a peace of sorts after being flown home.

&quot;When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable -- almost anguished,&quot; they said.

&quot;Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed &ndash; he was at peace. &nbsp;He was home and we believe he could sense that,&quot; they added.&nbsp;&quot;We thank everyone around the world who has kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We are at peace and at home too.&quot;

The university student, who had been on a tourist trip, was sentenced to 15 years hard labour, a punishment the US decried as far out of proportion to his alleged crime, accusing the North of using him as a political pawn.

President Donald Trump had urged the nation to pray for Otto Warmbier, describing his ordeal as a &quot;truly terrible thing&quot;.

Warmbier&#39;s release came amid mounting tensions with Washington following a series of missile tests by Pyongyang, focusing attention on an arms buildup that Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has dubbed &quot;a clear and present danger to all.&quot;

The 22-year-old, who had suffered severe brain damage, was medically evacuated to the United States on June 13

Otto Warmbier, the US student released by North Korea in a coma last week after more than a year in detention, has died, his family said Monday. The 22-year-old, who had suffered severe brain damage, was medically evacuated to the United States on June 13. He died Monday at 2:20 pm, surrounded by relatives in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio. "It is our sad duty to report that our son, Otto Warmbier, has completed his journey home," his family said in a statement. "The awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible," they added. US President Donald Trump released a statement, to offer condolences and "condemning the brutality of the North Korean regime". Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier. Full statement: https://t.co/8kmcA6YtFD pic.twitter.com/EhrP4BiJeB — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2017 × Pyongyang said that Warmbier fell into a coma soon after he was sentenced in March of last year for stealing a political poster from a North Korean hotel. The regime claimed the young man fell into a coma after contracting botulism and being given a sleeping pill. The US State Department published their formal response on the social media site Twitter. Secretary Tillerson: We hold #NorthKorea accountable for Otto Warmbier’s unjust imprisonment. https://t.co/MwHNCuUjyw — Department of State (@StateDept) June 19, 2017 × Doctors treating Warmbier said he had suffered extensive tissue loss in all regions of his brain, but showed no signs of physical trauma. Medical tests offered no conclusive evidence as to the cause of his neurological injuries, and no evidence of a prior botulism infection. They said Warmbier's severe brain injury was most likely, given his young age, to have been caused by cardiopulmonary arrest cutting the blood supply to the brain. Warmbier's father, Fred, lashed out at Kim Jong-Un's authoritarian state last week, telling a news conference, "there is no excuse for any civilised nation to have kept his condition secret and denied him top-notch medical care for so long." In their statement Monday, Otto's family said they believed he had found a peace of sorts after being flown home. "When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13th he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable -- almost anguished," they said. "Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed – he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that," they added. "We thank everyone around the world who has kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We are at peace and at home too." The university student, who had been on a tourist trip, was sentenced to 15 years hard labour, a punishment the US decried as far out of proportion to his alleged crime, accusing the North of using him as a political pawn. President Donald Trump had urged the nation to pray for Otto Warmbier, describing his ordeal as a "truly terrible thing". Warmbier's release came amid mounting tensions with Washington following a series of missile tests by Pyongyang, focusing attention on an arms buildup that Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has dubbed "a clear and present danger to all."

US student Otto Warmbier dies days after being released from North Korean jail

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North Korea hospital director rejects Warmbier torture charges

US student Otto Warmbier dies days after being released from North Korean jail