Trump announces date, place for summit with Kim, greets freed men
May 10, 2018, 8:04 AM | Updated: 10:55 am
President Donald Trump, center left, shakes hands with Tony Kim, with Kim Dong Chul, third right, and Kim Hak Song, second right, three Americans detained in North Korea for over a year, after they arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Thursday, May 10, 2018. First lady Melania Trump watches at left. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Donald Trump welcomed back three Americans freed from North Korea on Thursday and afterward announced his summit with Kim Jong Un will be in Singapore on June 12.
With the former detainees by his side on a dark air base tarmac, Trump said it was a “great honor” to welcome the men back to the U.S., but he added that “the true honor is going to be if we have a victory in getting rid of nuclear weapons.”
The president later tweeted he hoped the meeting with Kim would bring about world peace.
The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2018
Trump thanked the North Korean leader for releasing the Americans and said he believed Kim wanted to reach an agreement on denuclearization at their upcoming meeting.
“I really think he wants to do something,” the president said.
Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim were released Wednesday. They had been imprisoned between one and two years.
They were taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where they were to be evaluated and receive medical treatment before being reunited with their families.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang twice to meet with Kim in recent months, in a precursor to the Trump-Kim meeting.
Pompeo came back with the three Americans during his most recent trip.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
