U.S. welcomes three Americans released from North Korea
- 6 years ago
'It's a dream to be home.'
Those were the words uttered by one of the three Americans who are back on U.S. soil following their release from North Korea.
Meeting them off the plane in the middle of the night was President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump as well as Vice President Mike Pence.
President Trump heaped more praise on the North Korean leader for freeing the Americans,... and said his upcoming summit with Kim will be a big success.
Won Jung-hwan reports.
The three Americans released from detention in North Korea are back in the U.S.
They arrived at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C.,... and President Trump was there to board the plane and greet them at around 3-AM, local time.
He and the first lady escorted the three down the stairs onto American soil,… and announced their official welcome to the press.
In his remarks, President Trump expressed his gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for releasing them.
"We very much appreciate that he allowed them to go before the meeting... I really think he wants to do something. I think he did this because I really think he wants to do something and bring their country into the real world. I really believe that John (unidentified reporter) and I think, I think that we're going to have a success. I think this would be a very big success."
They had been detained for more than a year,… and among them, Kim Dong-chul, a Christian pastor, had been detained the longest -- more than 900 days.
The other two, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim -- who both worked at a Pyongyang university, were detained by the North Korean regime about a year ago.
Their families weren't able to meet them at the base when they arrived, but they have issued a statement thanking President Trump for engaging directly with North Korea.
As the three men stepped onto the tarmac, there were cheers from the press when they saw they were in good condition and able to walk without assistance.
But when asked about their time in North Korea, it was clear that they had been through a lot.
"They treated us in many different ways. For me, I had to do a lot of labor, but when I got sick I also got medical attention."
The Americans' return is another step towards possibly a new era of relations between Pyongyang and Washington... as the summit between Kim and Trump draws closer.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
Those were the words uttered by one of the three Americans who are back on U.S. soil following their release from North Korea.
Meeting them off the plane in the middle of the night was President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump as well as Vice President Mike Pence.
President Trump heaped more praise on the North Korean leader for freeing the Americans,... and said his upcoming summit with Kim will be a big success.
Won Jung-hwan reports.
The three Americans released from detention in North Korea are back in the U.S.
They arrived at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C.,... and President Trump was there to board the plane and greet them at around 3-AM, local time.
He and the first lady escorted the three down the stairs onto American soil,… and announced their official welcome to the press.
In his remarks, President Trump expressed his gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for releasing them.
"We very much appreciate that he allowed them to go before the meeting... I really think he wants to do something. I think he did this because I really think he wants to do something and bring their country into the real world. I really believe that John (unidentified reporter) and I think, I think that we're going to have a success. I think this would be a very big success."
They had been detained for more than a year,… and among them, Kim Dong-chul, a Christian pastor, had been detained the longest -- more than 900 days.
The other two, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim -- who both worked at a Pyongyang university, were detained by the North Korean regime about a year ago.
Their families weren't able to meet them at the base when they arrived, but they have issued a statement thanking President Trump for engaging directly with North Korea.
As the three men stepped onto the tarmac, there were cheers from the press when they saw they were in good condition and able to walk without assistance.
But when asked about their time in North Korea, it was clear that they had been through a lot.
"They treated us in many different ways. For me, I had to do a lot of labor, but when I got sick I also got medical attention."
The Americans' return is another step towards possibly a new era of relations between Pyongyang and Washington... as the summit between Kim and Trump draws closer.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.