Trump says time, place set for meeting with Kim

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a time and a place had been set for a meeting with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, although no further details were provided.

"We now have a date and we have a location. We'll be announcing it soon," Trump told reporters before flying to Dallas, Texas, where he will attend the annual National Rifle Association (NRA) convention.

The President also expressed optimism regarding the release of the three US hostages held in a North Korean prison.

"We're having very substantive talks with North Korea and a lot of things have already happened with respect to the hostages. I think you're going to see very good things," he said.

"As I said yesterday, stay tuned," Trump added.

The three hostages, who were all born in South Korea but later became US citizens, are Kim Dong-chul, 64, Kim Sang-duk, 58, and Kim Hak-song, who is around 60 years old.

Kim Dong-chul, a businessman, was arrested during a trip to North Korea in October 2015 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.

He is the US citizen who has served the longest prison sentence in North Korea.

The other two men were professors at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), North Korea's first privately funded university.

According to the North Korean media, the two professors were arrested for carrying out "hostile acts" against the government, although no court has formally sentenced them.

On Wednesday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the three US citizens had been taken to a hotel near Pyongyang, which has raised prospects that they will be freed.

This release could be planned to coincide with the preparation of the historic summit between Trump and Kim.

--IANS

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