Three Americans freed after more than a year in prison in North Korea arrived in the U.S. in the early hours of Thursday morning.
U.S. President Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington D.C. to greet the men. They were released after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited North Korea on Wednesday to finalize a planned meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“We want to thank Kim Jong Un,” Trump said after emerging from the plane, which he and his wife had boarded to greet the men. He later added: “We very much appreciate that he allowed them to go before the meeting. He was nice in letting them go before the meeting … That was a big thing, very important to me.”
The release is seen as a further sign of thawing relations between the U.S. and North Korea, after Kim last month pledged to suspend missile tests and close a nuclear test site. But it also comes amid renewed uncertainty around how the summit will pan out, after Trump’s decision earlier this week to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump told the media at the Andrews base that the location of his meeting with Kim had been finalized, but would not reveal further details. He also refused to comment on whether he has spoken to the North Korean leader.
“My proudest achievement will be when we denuclearize that entire peninsula,” Trump said. “This is what people have been waiting a long time for. I’m very honored to free the three folks. The true honor is going to be if we have a victory in getting rid of nuclear weapons.”
The three men are Korean-Americans Kim Dong Chul, Kim Sang-duk (also known as Tony Kim), and Kim Hak-song. North Korea accused them of anti-state activities.
The ex-detainees thanked Trump for securing their freedom in a statement released by the State Department on their behalf.
“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,” they said. “We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return. God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world.”