North Korea releases 3 American detainees prior to early June summit

US President Donald J. Trump (C) speaks beside three US detainees after their arrival from North Korea at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, USA, 10 May 2018. North Korea released the three US citizens who had been detained for as long as two years, a goodwill gesture ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un that‘‘s expected in the coming weeks.

Trump Tweets that North Korea-US summit location and date has been decided but still hasn’t confirmed

On May 9, the three Americans of Korean descent who had been detained by North Korea were repatriated to the US. The three were sent home together with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had paid another sudden visit to Pyongyang. It appears that the signs of trouble between North Korea and the US that had flared up during efforts to arrange the summit will be cleared up and a solution found.

“I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting,” US President Donald Trump tweeted on May 9.

Trump added that the freed detainees “seem to be in good health.” The three individuals – Kim Dong-chul, Kim Sang-deok (also called Tony Kim) and Kim Hak-song – were serving prison terms after being convicted of espionage, hostile acts and conspiracy to overthrow the state. Trump promised to personally greet the detainees at Andrews Air Force Base.

In the same tweet, Trump wrote that Pompeo had a “good meeting with Kim Jong Un” and that the date and location of his summit with Kim had been decided. But he has still not disclosed that date and location.

On his way back to the US from Pyongyang on the evening of May 9, Pompeo had a stopover at Yokota Air Base in Japan where he told reporters that he had had a long and positive talk with Kim and that the date and location of Trump and Kim’s summit, which is slated to last for one day, had been decided during a productive conversation with North Korean officials.

Pompeo said that the details of the North Korea-US summit will be announced within a few days and that US and North Korean officials will meet again for final deliberations about the summit.

Pompeo left the US on May 8 and arrived in Pyongyang on the morning of May 9. He met separately with Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the North Korean Workers' Party (KWP) Central Committee and director of the KWP United Front department, at the Koryo Hotel for an hour. After Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol had lunch, Pompeo apparently met with Kim Jong-un to discuss the release of the detainees and preparations for the North Korea-US summit and then immediately returned home with the detainees.

Shortly after the decision to release the three Americans, the White House press secretary issued a statement saying that “President Trump appreciates leader Kim Jong Un’s action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill.”

Three Americans of Korean descent that had been detained in North Korea were released on May 9. From the left are pictured Kim Hak-song, Kim Dong-chul, Kim Sang-deok (Tony Kim).

The White House added that “the three Americans appear to be in good condition and were all able to walk on the plane without assistance.”

That evening, Blue House Senior Secretary for Public Relations Yoon Young-chan released a written statement saying, “We welcome North Korea’s decision to repatriate the three American detainees. North Korea’s decision will function as a very positive factor for successfully holding the North Korea-US summit.”

“For decades, we have been adversaries. Now we are hopeful that we can work together to resolve this conflict, take away threats to the world and make your country have all the opportunities your people so richly deserve,” Pompeo was quoted as telling Kim Yong-chol by the Washington Post and other American newspapers that accompanied him.

Kim Yong-chol responded by saying that everything was going well in Pyongyang at the moment and that the North Koreans would be concentrating all their efforts on the country’s economic development from that moment forward.

North Korea’s Rodong Shinmun, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Workers‘ Party of Korea, devoted its entire first page to the meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on May 10

Lingering disagreements that need to be solved

But it is not clear whether the gap between the two countries has been completely bridged. North Korea has insisted on a phased approach in which the US rewards the North for every step it takes toward denuclearization, while the US has stated that sanctions will not be relaxed at all until denuclearization is complete. North Korea may have understood the US position as constituting a demand for “unconditional surrender.”

Reports also say there was strong pushback from North Korea to an American attempt to expand the agenda of the summit beyond denuclearization and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to short and mid-range missiles, chemical and biological weapons and human rights. Kim told Pompeo that North Korea’s expression of its determination to denuclearize is not the result of sanctions imposed by the outside world, implying that the North is not “bending the knee” to the US.

During a phone call that began at 11:20 pm on May 9 and lasted for 25 minutes, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump discussed the release of the three Korean-Americans and the location of the North Korea-US summit, the Blue House said.

A senior official at the Blue House reported that Trump said that the hostages are healthy and that their release will have a positive impact on the upcoming North Korea-US summit and then thanked President Moon for helping arrange their release. According to the official, Moon responded by saying that this was a great decision in terms of human rights and humanitarian concerns and attributed the decision to Trump’s decisiveness and leadership.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent, and Hwang Joon-bum, staff reporter

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