(CNN) The family of Otto Warmbier rebuked President Donald Trump on Friday for siding with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who denied knowledge of their son's maltreatment during his imprisonment.

"We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that. Thank you," Fred and Cindy Warmbier, Otto's parents, said in a statement provided to CNN.

After a second summit with Kim in Vietnam, President Trump said Thursday he does not hold the North Korean dictator responsible for Warmbier's death.

"He tells me that he didn't know about it and I will take him at his word," Trump said during a news conference, also claiming Kim "felt very badly. But he knew the case very well, but he knew it later."

Trump weighed in on Twitter Friday, arguing that he was being "misinterpreted" after successfully getting Warmbier out of North Korea and professing to hold the country accountable for Warmbier's death -- though he did not mention Kim's role.

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