Three Americans held as prisoners in North Korea arrived back in the United States early Thursday morning, less than a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo secured their release. President Donald Trump met Kim Hak-song, Kim Dong-chul and Tony Kim, shortly after 3 a.m. at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Their release was not a precondition of the meeting but was widely seen as a gesture of goodwill by the North ahead of negotiations. The men were detained on various charges of espionage and “hostile acts,” although the North is notorious for issuing trumped up sentences to hold political prisoners. Shortly before their arrival, the three men released a statement thanking the Trump administration.

Source: Huffington Post May 10, 2018 07:05 UTC