LOS ANGELES (AP) – Friends and relatives of the Americans held in North Korea say they’re grateful they’ve have been released back to the U.S.
The men – Kim Hak Song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong Chul – were greeted by President Donald Trump early Thursday at a military base outside Washington.
Tony Kim, of Riverside, taught accounting at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and was detained in April 2017.
President Donald Trump, from left, greets Tony Kim, Kim Hak Song and Kim Dong Chul, three Americans detained in North Korea for more than a year, as they arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Thursday, May 10, 2018. First lady Melania Trump also greets them at right. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
His family said they’re grateful for his release and thanked Trump for engaging directly with North Korea.
Kim Hak Song, who worked at the same privately funded college, was detained a month later.
The Oriental Mission Church in Los Angeles says he was a missionary affiliated with the church and was detained while trying to return to his home in China.
President Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, back, shakes hands with former North Korean detainees Kim Dong Chul, with Kim Hak Song, upon their arrival, Thursday, May 10, 2018, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump waves as he stands with the three Americans detained in North Korea for more than a year after they arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Thursday, May 10, 2018. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, second from right, watches. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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