Who are the men released by North Korea?
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that three Americans detained by North Korea have been released and are on their way home with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Here is a look at the three men:
Kim Dong Chul
A Korean-American missionary formerly of Fairfax, Virginia, and thought to be about 62, was sentenced in March 2016 to 10 years of hard labour for subversion.
In this April 29, 2016, file photo, Kim Dong Chul, center, a US citizen detained in North Korea, is freed in 2018. Source: AP
He admitted to committing "unpardonable espionage" under the direction of the US and South Korean governments and deeply apologised for his crimes, the North's KCNA news agency said.
Other Americans taken captive by North Korea have said after their release they were forced into making confessions. In an interview with CNN conducted in Pyongyang in January 2016, Kim said he was arrested in October 2015 after spying on behalf of what he called "South Korean conservative elements".
Kim Sang-duk
Also known as Tony Kim, spent a month teaching accounting at the foreign-funded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) before he was detained at Pyongyang International Airport in April 2017 while trying to leave the country.
This photo provided by the family of Tony Kim, shows him in California in 2016. Source: Family of Tony Kim
The university's chancellor said the arrest was not connected to PUST and that Kim, 59, had been involved with other activities, including helping an orphanage. North Korean state media reported that he was arrested for committing "hostile acts" against the government.
Kim Hak Song
Thought to be about 55, also taught at PUST, which was founded by evangelical Christians and opened in 2010. The university's co-founder said that Kim, who managed the school's experimental farm at the college of agriculture and life sciences, was detained in May while travelling on a train from Pyongyang to the Chinese border town of Dandong.
In February 2015, Kim wrote in a fundraising post on the website of a Korean-Brazilian church that he was a Christian missionary devoted to helping North Korea's people learn to be self-sufficient. North Korean state media said he also was arrested on suspicion of committing "hostile acts" against the government.
Share
