Seoul welcomes release of US detainees

Seoul’s presidential office on Wednesday welcomed the release of US citizens held captive by North Korea, saying it is a positive development ahead of the US-North Korea summit.

On Wednesday three US citizens were released and handed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who arrived in Pyongyang earlier in the day to discuss issues concerning the summit.

The hostages released are Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk, and Kim Dong-chul. Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang-duk had been held since last year, while Kim Dong-chul had been held in the North since October 2015.

“North Korea’s decision will have a very positive effect for the success of the North Korea-US summit,” Yoon Young-chan, President Moon Jae-in’s chief press secretary, said in a statement. He added that the fact that all three released detainees are of Korean descent is significant.

“President Moon Jae-in asked Chairman Kim Jong-un to release the six Koreans detained in North Korea during the inter-Korean summit on April 27,” Yoon said, urging North Korea to release the detainees.


By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)