The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 4, 2018

North Korea Set to Release Imprisoned U.S. Citizens Ahead of Summit
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The New York Times reports that President Trump has ordered the Pentagon
to prepare a plan to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in South
Korea. The report came as the U.S. and North Korea are making plans for
an unprecedented summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim
Jong-un, to be held in May or June. This week, reports emerged that
three U.S. citizens imprisoned in North Korea have been relocated to a
hotel in Pyongyang ahead of their imminent release. President Trump's
lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, had said the trio were to have been released
yesterday. Tony Kim, Kim Hak-song and Kim Dong-chul were convicted on
espionage charges and sentenced to long prison terms. It's believed
North Korea is preparing to return them to the U.S. as a goodwill
gesture.