President Donald Trump will likely meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore next month, according to several media reports.
Both CNN and Fox News, citing people familiar with the plans, said officials have been told to begin preparations for the summit after Trump ruled out the Demilitarized Zone on the Korean Peninsula as a possible location. The White House has confirmed that a date and site have been set, but the announcement has not been made publicly.
Trump said he would reveal the details in three days.
“I can tell you that a date and location are set, but, beyond that, I don’t have any other announcements at this point,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday.
Kim expressed support for the summit in a statement given to North Korean state television on Wednesday, saying the event would be a “historic meeting” and a first step toward the “building of a good future” on the Korean Peninsula.
The news comes shortly after newly confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang to meet with Kim and finalize details of the meeting.
During the Wednesday visit, Pompeo secured the release of three American prisoners that had been held in North Korea. The U.S. had long demanded that North Korea free the men, Kim Dong-chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim, who had been held on charges of espionage and “hostile acts.”
“I’m thrilled that we have them back,” Pompeo told reporters, according to The New York Times. “President Trump set conditions for this to happen, and I am thrilled with that.”
The secretary also appeared optimistic about the summit, telling Kim at a lunch in Pyongyang that he was “hopeful that we can work together to resolve this conflict, take away threats to the world and make your country have all the opportunities your people so richly deserve.”
The three former prisoners are scheduled to arrive at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, D.C., at 2 a.m. Thursday and will be met by the president. All are reportedly healthy and able to walk on their own.
“I will be there to greet them,” Trump tweeted. “Very exciting!”