By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave a comment 0comments Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/who-are-the-three-americans-just-released-by-north-korea Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Who are the three Americans just released by North Korea? World May 9, 2018 9:16 AM EDT President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was bringing home three Americans who had been imprisoned in North Korea for “hostile acts.” 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. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018 The North Korean regime accused all three of anti-state activities. The three Korean-Americans, who are now released: Tony Kim Kim was teaching at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, funded by evangelical Christians from the U.S. and China. After a few months in North Korea, he was detained last year at Pyongyang airport while trying to leave the country and was accused of “hostile acts.” His wife is presumably still in North Korea. Kim Dong Chul Kim, from Fairfax, Virginia, lived in a special economic zone in Rason, North Korea, where he ran a trading and hotel services company. He was arrested in October 2015 and sentenced to 10 years hard labor in 2016 for spying and other charges. Korean-American Kim Dong Chul enters a courtroom in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 29, 2016. KCNA via Reuters/File Photo Kim Hak Song Kim is a South Korean born in China and became a U.S. citizen in the 2000s after studying in California. He was doing agricultural development work at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and living in Pyongyang. He was accused of “hostile acts” in 2017. President Trump tweeted that he would be meeting the trio when they arrive at Andrews Air Force Base with Pompeo at 2 a.m. ET Thursday. “Very exciting!” he added. Secretary Pompeo and his “guests” will be landing at Andrews Air Force Base at 2:00 A.M. in the morning. I will be there to greet them. Very exciting! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018 We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was bringing home three Americans who had been imprisoned in North Korea for “hostile acts.” 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. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018 The North Korean regime accused all three of anti-state activities. The three Korean-Americans, who are now released: Tony Kim Kim was teaching at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, funded by evangelical Christians from the U.S. and China. After a few months in North Korea, he was detained last year at Pyongyang airport while trying to leave the country and was accused of “hostile acts.” His wife is presumably still in North Korea. Kim Dong Chul Kim, from Fairfax, Virginia, lived in a special economic zone in Rason, North Korea, where he ran a trading and hotel services company. He was arrested in October 2015 and sentenced to 10 years hard labor in 2016 for spying and other charges. Korean-American Kim Dong Chul enters a courtroom in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 29, 2016. KCNA via Reuters/File Photo Kim Hak Song Kim is a South Korean born in China and became a U.S. citizen in the 2000s after studying in California. He was doing agricultural development work at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and living in Pyongyang. He was accused of “hostile acts” in 2017. President Trump tweeted that he would be meeting the trio when they arrive at Andrews Air Force Base with Pompeo at 2 a.m. ET Thursday. “Very exciting!” he added. Secretary Pompeo and his “guests” will be landing at Andrews Air Force Base at 2:00 A.M. in the morning. I will be there to greet them. Very exciting! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018 We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now