WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement after President Donald Trump announced the release of three prisoners held in North Korea:

“Today’s announcement that President Trump and Secretary Pompeo have secured the release of three North Korean prisoners is incredible news.  It is a time of celebration for our nation, and most importantly, for those men and their families. 

“North Koreans have a long history of promises made and then broken.  In the past, they’ve used the guise of denuclearization talks to buy time as they continue to build up their nuclear weapons, so we must be determined to break this cycle and not to repeat history.  That’s why, during my short time in Congress, we’ve prioritized ratcheting up sanctions on North Korea.  It is clear that this pressure is driving North Korea back to the negotiating table, and now we must continue to exert pressure so we do not make the same mistakes that past Administrations have made with North Korea and the same mistakes that President Obama made with Iran.”