Donald Trump Thanks Kim Jong Un For Being “Excellent” To The 3 US Prisoners

President Trump praised Kim Jong Un’s “excellent” treatment of three US prisoners.

American President Donald Trump has a new attitude towards North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, thanking him for his “excellent” treatment of three US prisoners.

Source: NBC

The three Korean-American prisoners, Tony Kim, Kim Haksong and Kim Dongchul, who had been accused of anti-state activities, returned home to a welcome ceremony attended by President Trump and the First Lady.

 

Donald Trump praised Kim Jong Un for his treatment of the US prisoners, despite the fact that they had been imprisoned for a year or more. One had even been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor.

Donald Trump greets ex-detainee Tony Kim. Source: Associated Press

“We want to thank [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un, who really was excellent to these three incredible people. I really think [Mr Kim] wants to do something. Talks between his administration and the North Korean Government have never been taken this far.” — President Trump

 

Last year, when 22-year-old US prisoner Otto Warmbier was released from North Korea in a vegetative state and died just days later, President Trump condemned Kim Jong Un for failing to “respect the rule of law or basic human decency” and mourning the latest victim lost to the “brutality of the North Korean regime“.

Otto Warmbier was arrested in North Korea for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda poster while on tour. Source: Tiger Times

 

Now that Kim Jong Un has released the prisoners ahead of the leaders’s planned meeting in June, President Trump’s attitude towards North Korea has changed drastically.

Kim Dongchul was sentenced to 10 years’ hard labor for “espionage”. Source: Kim Kwang Hyon/Associated Press

 

After arriving on US soil, Kim Dongchul was asked how he was treated while a prisoner. He paused before answering, “We were treated in many different ways. For me, I had to do a lot of labor. But when I got sick, I was also treated by them.”

Source: NBC News

 

While diplomatic rhetoric ahead of a historic peace meeting is to be expected, some netizens are not happy with President Trump’s description of Kim Jong Un.

 

While others are defending the president’s diplomacy for the sake of peace.

 

Although opinions are divided over President Trump’s comment, everyone agrees that the ex-detainees’s safe return is definitely worth celebrating.

Source: VOX and ABC