Korean Americans imprisoned by North Korea are back home

SCREEN CAPTURE

The former detainees emerged from the plane to applause.

Three Korean Americans detained by North Korea were welcomed back to the U.S. by Donald Trump in the early morning hours in the full glare of TV cameras and world media.

When they first landed on U.S. soil in Alaska, the former detainees released a joint statement. "We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return," a statement from the men provided by the State Department reads. "God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world."

The three Korean/Americans — Kim Hak-Song, also known as Jin Xue Song; Tony Kim, also known as Kim Sang-Duk; and Kim Dong Chul paused at the top of the stairs to raise their hands in victory, gesturing with the peace sign as Trump and the First Lady applauded.

They were dressed in blue suits with open collar shirts, looked strong and appeared to be in good health as they came down the stairs unaided and strode across the tarmac.

"It's like a dream and we're very, very happy," said Kim Dong Chul, who was detained since 2016. Though they all speak English, Kim spoke through a translator.

In response to a question from a reporter, he went on to say that he performed labor every day but when he fell ill, he was treated well by his captors.

Trump made a point to thank North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "It was a very important thing for all of us to get these great people out," said Trump. "It was important to me."

For the final leg of the trip to Washington, D.C., the three men board a plane equipped with medical equipment so they could be treated after a year and more in North Korean prisons.

Always conscious of optics, a giant American flag was hung by the ladders of two fire trucks for the plane that had "United States of America" emblazoned on its side. Trump joked to the TV crews, "I bet you never had such great ratings for 3 in the morning."

After shaking the hands of Vice President Pence and again thanking Secretary of State Pompeo, the three Americans were whisked off to Walter Reed Medical Center for further medical exams and to be reunited with their families.

Pompeo was in North Korea Wednesday (May 8) to finalize details of a pending meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-Un when he was informed by the North Koreans that he would have three extra passengers on his flight back to the U.S.

As Pompeo and his entourage were boarding their departing flight in Pyongyang, a van brought the three Americans onto the tarmac.

From left: Kim Sang Duk, Kim Hak Song and Kim Dong Chul have been released and are returning to the U.S.

The release of the three men, who were detained by North Korea on varioius charges against the regime, was prematurely announced last week by Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer. The administration and Giuliani had to walk back on the announcement when the men were not released over the weekend.

RELATED: North Korea preparing to release Korean Americans

On Wednesday as the men were enroute home, In a series of tweets, the family of Tony Kim issued a statement thanking all of those involved in helping to free him.

Who are the three freed Korean Americans?

KIM HAK SONG

Kim had been working for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) undertaking agricultural development work with the school's farm, according to the Straits Times.

He was arrested at Pyongyang railway station in May 2017 on suspicion of committing "hostile acts" against the government, as he was boarding a train headed for his home in Dandong, China.

Kim, who is in his mid-50s, was born in Jilin, China, and educated at the University of California-Riverside, CNN reported, citing a man who had studied with him. He became a U.S. citizen in the 2000s but never forgot his roots. "He was a very diligent, hardworking man determined to help people in North Korea," his friend David Kim told CNN.

PUST was founded by evangelical Christians from the United States and opened in 2010, and is known to have a number of American faculty members. Pupils are generally children from the North's elite.

KIM SANG DUK

Also known as Tony Kim, he was arrested in April 2017 at the capital's main airport as he tried to leave the country after teaching for several weeks, also at the Christian-funded PUST.

Kim is a former professor at Yanbian University of Science and Technology in China, close to the Korean border. Its website lists his speciality as accounting.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports Kim is in his late 50s and said he had been involved in relief activities for children in rural parts of North Korea. It cited a source who described him as a "religiously devoted man." He supposedly had been volunteering at an orphanage.

In a Facebook post, Kim Sang Duk's son said since his arrest his family has had no contact with him.

KIM DONG CHUL

A South Korea-born American businessman aged in his 60s, he was sentenced to 10 years' hard labor after being arrested on charges of subversion and espionage in April 2016.

He was initially arrested in October 2015, after he reportedly received a USB stick containing nuclear-linked data and other military information from a former North Korean soldier.

In an interview with CNN in January 2016, Kim said he was a naturalized American living in Fairfax, Virginia. He said he once ran a trading and hotel services company in Rason, a special economic zone near the North's border with China and Russia.

A month before his trial, Kim had also appeared at a government-arranged news conference and apologised for attempting to steal military secrets in collusion with South Korea. The South Korean spy agency has denied involvement.

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