North Korea has released the three Americans that were being held in labor camps in a sign of good faith ahead of the summit between President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim Dong-cheol, Kim Sang-deok, and Kim Hak-seong were reportedly released from the detention centers in early April and have since been undergoing medical treatment and ideological education outside Pyongyang. They are still in North Korean custody.
According to the one of the country’s top activists, Choi Sung-ryong, the three Korean-American detainees will allegedly be allowed to head back to the U.S. after the long-anticipated summit.
“We heard it through our sources in North Korea late last month. We believe that Mr Trump can take them back on the day of the US-North Korea summit or he can send an envoy to take them back to the US before the summit,” Choi told the Financial Times.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the three detainees were transferred to a Pyongyang hotel from a labor camp early last month, per the instructions from top officials.
Trump confirmed last week that U.S. officials had been working for the release of the three Americans.
According to sources close to the hermit regime, they have been monitoring closely the health and well-being of the three Americans to avoid another incident like Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died after being held prisoner in North Korea.
Diana Stancy Correll contributed to this report.
