New York: The parents of Otto Warmbier have filed a claim for a seized North Korean cargo ship, seeking to collect on a multimillion-dollar judgment awarded in the American college student's death.

The Warmbiers filed court papers Wednesday in New York federal court saying they have a right to the assets after North Korea failed to respond to a wrongful death claim that accused it of abducting Warmbier, who had travelled there for a guided tour ahead of a study abroad program in Hong Kong.

American student Otto Warmbier, who fell into a coma and later died after being arrested in North Korea, is pictured being escorted into the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. Credit:AP

The Warmbiers say their son was tortured after being convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster and imprisoned for months.

He suffered severe brain damage, but doctors were unable to determine was led to it. The 22-year-old died days after being returned to the US in a vegetative state in 2017.