“I believe the US made it a precondition that North Korea release American hostages before the summit,” he said during a May 4 interview.Įxperts believe that freeing the three men would be a tangible way for North Korea to try to lower tensions with the US before what would be a historic summit. Bill Richardson, who has spent decades negotiating hostage releases with North Korea, told me the releases might form part of a larger negotiating process. And over Easter weekend, then-CIA Director Pompeo spoke personally with Kim about the detainees.įormer New Mexico Gov.

In March, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho traveled to Sweden - which acts as an intermediary for Washington and Pyongyang - to discuss releasing the hostages. This moment was at least two months in the making. Trump added in a following tweet that Pompeo and the three former hostages will arrive in the US at 2 am on Thursday. 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.

The hostage song