anna fifield has been reporting the story for the "washington post." she spoke via skype from tokyo. >> what i have been told is that last monday, june the 5th, the north koreans actually approached americans who they talk to, and they said that otto warmbier was in a coma and had been in a coma for more than a year. and that started the ball rolling, to have him medically evacuated. the north koreans said that he came down with a case of botulism soon after his sentencing, and that he was given a sleeping pill and fell into a coma, and he did not wake up from that. >> reporter: warmbier's parents confirmed their son is in a coma, and had been medically evacuated. in a statement to the associated press, they also said: "we want the world to know how we and our son have been brutalized and terrorized by the pariah regime." warmbier was arrested after he allegedly took a propaganda poster from the wall of a pyongyang hotel on new year's eve, 2015. he'd been in north korea as part of a tour group. in march last year, he was sentenced to 15 years hard labo

. >> reporter: anna fifield is "the washington post's" tokyo bureau chief.he says young pioneers tapped into the adventurous wanderlust of people like otto. >> their slogan is "tours to destinations your mother doesn't want you to go to." so they are really playing up the whole idea this is off the beaten track. >> reporter: otto's plan was a five-day trip, costing more than $1,000, billed as the new year's party tour. an odd name for a trip into a rogue nation nicknamed the hermit kingdom. >> it's the ultimate forbidden country left in the world. it's sort of the forbidden fruit. so, i think that's -- that's the cause for excitement for why people want to visit. >> do you guys remember the first time he said, "hey, i want to go to north korea?" >> i was excited for him. >> he's otto. >> another otto thing to do. just go wherever, you know? just to craziest place you could think of. >> reporter: after touching down in pyongyang with the young pioneers, otto's itinerary scheduled like clockwork. on day two, his group of about two dozen traveled two hours to k