The three Americans released from North Korean labor camps ahead of President Trump’s historic meeting with Kim Jong Un praised the Trump administration for helping to secure their freedom around the time they touched down in Anchorage, Alaska.
“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. We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return,” Kim Dong-cheol, Kim Sang-deok, and Kim Hak-seong said in a statement issued via the State Department.
“God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world,” the trio added.
Statement from 3 Americans released by North Korea via @StateDept pic.twitter.com/AeZGDVf7hC
— Zoe Daniel (@zdaniel) May 9, 2018
The American prisoners were moved from detention centers in the hermit kingdom in April and have since been undergoing medical treatment and ideological education outside Pyongyang.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Pyongyang earlier this week to finalize details for the upcoming summit, as well as to facilitate the final leg of the detainees’ journey home.
Earlier this year, Trump announced he would meet Kim with the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Trump said on Tuesday he was optimistic a deal for future “prosperity” and “security” with North Korea could be reached.
