WASHINGTON – In a matter of weeks President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two men will shake hands on neutral ground as Trump tries to convince Kim to give up his nuclear weapons, but human rights advocates say the president needs to push for even more.
Around the world, people awoke to major international news.
Trump and Kim will meet June 12 in Singapore. The island offers neutral ground as both nations have embassies there. The president announced the date after Kim removed a major barrier, releasing three Americans who were serving time doing hard labor after being convicted of bogus charges.
Family members of prisoner Tony Kim saying they "thank God" for his safe return.
"It's heartbreaking to think of it. In fact, the Secretary of State told me that when the plane refueled in Anchorage, one of the detainees asked to go outside the plane because he hadn't seen daylight in a very long time," Vice President Mike Pence told ABC News.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the prisoners home after his second meeting with Kim.
The former CIA director is a Christian who attends weekly Bible studies with his fellow cabinet secretaries and God's using him to influence world events.
Neither the president nor congressional leaders expected Kim to release the Americans.
"It was a good faith gesture. I don't think that we were sure we were going to get these prisoners in the first place," Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told reporters, "So I think we should clearly give the president some leeway on preparing for this summit."
A campaign rally in Indiana Thursday gave the president a chance to celebrate.
"We are rocking, we are rocking," he told the crowd in a large arena.
"You remember everybody in the fake news when they said 'he's going to get us into a nuclear war?'" he asked.
North Korea consistently tops the list of countries where Christians suffer the most and building off the Trump administration's momentum, human rights group Open Doors USA is pushing for the president to call attention to the 50,000 Christians who have been detained in labor camps.
"While the freedom of three American prisoners is a fantastic start, let's acknowledge that Kim has not yet ushered in freedom for all. Don't let these recent positive developments be perceived as the celebratory end of the freedom work in North Korea, and instead let it mark the beginning," Open Doors president David Curry said in a statement.
The group also wants the release of all political dissidents in North Korea.
Trump says his proudest achievement will be when America denuclearizes the Korean peninsula and he's already advertising for a second term.
"Our new slogan for 2020, you know what it is? Keep America Great," he said in Indiana to thunderous applause.'
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