Trump greets American detainees freed from North Korea
Trump greets American detainees freed by North Korea
Three Americans freed from captivity in North Korea are greeted by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
President Donald Trump greeted the three American detainees freed from North Korea early Thursday morning at Andrews Air Force Base.
Trump was joined by First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. There is a motorcade awaiting their arrival that will take the detainees to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for further examinations.
Trump entered the plane with the first lady to greet the men and stayed there for several minutes.
The hostages left North Korea early Wednesday with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Trump has referred to the men as hostages.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump “appreciates leader Kim Jong Un’s action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill.”
She added, “The three Americans appear to be in good condition and were all able to walk on the plane without assistance.”
North Korea had accused Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim, all Korean-Americans, of anti-state activities. Their arrests were widely seen as politically motivated and had compounded the dire state of relations over the isolated nation’s nuclear weapons.
The three had been held for periods ranging from one and two years. They were the latest in a series of Americans who have been detained by North Korea in recent years for seemingly small offenses.
“We would like to express our deep appreciation to the United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the people of the United States for bringing us home,” the three said in an earlier statement released by the State Department.
The three detainees and Pompeo flew on separate government planes because they were receiving medical checkups during the flight from Japan and the larger plane was better equipped to provide the equipment.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Singapore appears to be the likely meeting location for the upcoming summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The Associated Press contributed to this report