News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

North-Korea-Flag-main_article_image.jpg
Flickr John Pavelka
World News

Pastor among Americans released from North Korea

by Press Association

The move is the latest sign of improving relations between the two long-time adversaries.

The president, who had been hinting about an imminent release, said he would greet them at Andrews Air Force Base at 2am on Thursday (7am BST).

The release of the detainees came as Mr Pompeo visited North Korea on Wednesday to finalise plans for a historic summit between Mr Trump and the North's leader, Kim Jong Un.

Mr Trump said on Twitter that there had been a "good meeting with Kim Jong Un", adding: "Date & Place set."

North Korea had accused Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim, all Korean-Americans, of anti-state activities, but their arrests were widely seen as politically motivated and had compounded the dire state of relations over the isolated nation's nuclear weapons.

They had been held for periods ranging between one and two years. The trio were the latest in a series of Americans who have been detained by North Korea in recent years for seemingly small offences and typically freed when senior US officials or statesmen personally visited to bail them out.

According to CNN, Kim Hak-song was ordained an evangelical pastor and is affiliated with the Oriental Mission Church in Los Angeles.. 

Mr Pompeo, in his visit, discussed the agenda for a potential Trump-Kim summit in a meeting with Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the central committee of North Korea's ruling party.

Later, Mr Pompeo said the senior official had been a great partner in working to make the summit a success.

"For decades, we have been adversaries. Now we are hopeful that we can work together to resolve this conflict," Mr Pompeo said, adding that "there are many challenges along the way".

Mr Kim noted the improved relations between the Koreas, as well as the North's policy to "concentrate all efforts into economic progress" in the country.

"This is not a result of sanctions that have been imposed from outside," he added, citing the will of the Korean people. That contradicted Mr Trump, who has said repeatedly that his pressure tactics brought North Korea to the negotiating table.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate