Americans released by N. Korea land in Washington

WASHINGTON (UPDATE) - A plane carrying three US prisoners released by North Korea landed near Washington D.C. on Thursday and were met by President Donald Trump, clearing a major obstacle to a planned summit between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The prisoners, freed after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to the North Korean capital, landed at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, where a giant US flag was suspended between ladders of two fire trucks on the edge of the taxiway.

The flight arrived around 2:42 a.m. (0642 GMT). Trump and First Lady Melania then boarded the plane and met the three men.

They emerged a few minutes later with the three former detainees to the cheers of watching military personnel.

All three former prisoners smiled. Two lifted their arms above head and made "V for victory" signs.

"Special night for these three really great people," Trump said.

“The fact that we were able to get them out so soon was really a tribute to a lot of people including a certain process that’s taking place right now.”

Referring to the possibility of reaching a denuclearization deal with North Korea, Trump said: "We will see if we can do something that people did not think was going to happen for many, many years and a lot of bad things could have happened in between."

"My proudest achievement will be - this is part of it - when we denuclearize that entire peninsula," he said, adding that he really believed the Kim Jong Un wanted to bring his country "into the real world."

"We very much appreciate that he allowed them to go before the meeting," he said. "It's a very important thing to all of us.

"I think we have a very good chance of doing something very meaningful," Trump said of the planned summit.

A White House spokesperson said the three would be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in nearby Maryland for further medical evaluation.

Those released were Korean-American missionary Kim Dong-chul, detained in 2015; Kim Sang-duk, also known as Tony Kim, who spent a month teaching at the foreign-funded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) before he was arrested in 2017; and Kim Hak-song, who also taught at PUST and was detained last year.

"We would like to express our deep appreciation to the United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the people of the United States for bringing us home," the three said in a statement released by the State Department as their plane stopped over in Alaska.

"We thank God and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return. God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world."

North Korean state media said they were arrested either for subversion or "hostile acts" against the government.

Until now, the only American released by North Korea during Trump’s presidency was Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old university student who returned to the United States in a coma last summer after 17 months of captivity. He died just days later.

• U.S. student held prisoner by North Korea dies days after release

Warmbier's death escalated US-North Korea tensions, already running high at the time over Pyongyang's stepped-up missile tests.

The release of the last US detainees in North Korea appeared to signal an effort by Kim to improve the tone for the summit and followed his recent pledge to suspend missile tests and shut a nuclear bomb test site.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Singapore has emerged as the likeliest location for the planned summit after Trump ruled out holding it at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

Trump, who previously said Singapore was under consideration, said the agreement had been reached on a date and venue and details would be announced within three days.

The release of the prisoners also gave Trump a chance to tout a diplomatic achievement soon after his decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal drew heavy criticism from European allies and others.

• North and South Korea agree to end Korean war