At 3 AM Thursday morning President
Trump and the First Lady Melania greeted the three Americans detained
as prisoners in North Korea as they arrived to a cheering crowd at
the Joint Base Andrews airport. With happy faces and giving the peace
sign the three men stood glad to be home. Mr. Kim Dong-Chul was asked
how it felt to finally be home, he reply though an interpreter that
it was like a dream and they were all very, very happy. He said they
were treated in different ways and that he had to do labor but when
he became sick they treated his illness. The three men stood thinner,
with graying hair but looked on the surface in fair condition from
their year long plus ordeal. On their way back to the U. S. medical
stop were made to assure they were alright.
Free at last
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| North Korea/Photo by korea_style pixabay |
Mr. Kim Dong-chul was arrested in 2015
after being accused of spying, in 2016 he was sentenced to 10 years
of hard labor. Mr. Kim Sang-duk, called by family members Tony Kim,
had taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, the
first private university in North Korea. He was arrested for "hostile
criminal acts" against the regime in April 2017. Mr. Kim
Hak-song also worked at the Pyongyang University doing research, he
was arrested in 2017, a month after Mr. Sung-duk on the same offense.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un granted the three amnesty after
several meetings with newly sworn in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
All three men will be checked into Walter Reed Medical Center for
decompression time.
Questions asked
In an interview with ABC News'
Johnathan Karl on Thursday morning, Vice President Mike Pence stated
he felt the release of the three men was due to the president's
policy of peace through strength. And it is a good sign that they
were released without any concessions. An array of questions from the
media was thrown at President Trump as they walked down the tarmac,
of which President Trump was happy to response. Stating he
appreciated Kim Jong-un allowed the three to be released before their
meeting. That nothing had changed concerning the meeting but this
does help in starting on a new foot. He noted that he felt Jong-un
wants to bring his country into the real world and that one of his
proudest moments would be if he succeeds in denuclearize that entire
peninsula.
