Transcript for 3 Americans still detained in North Korea as summit looms

The three Americans that are being detained in North Korea they can be released any moment ABC's Stephanie or Alice is in Washington with a look at these three men and how their fates. Could be tied to the planned summit high stakes summit between president Cobb and the North Korean leader Kim Dong moon Stephanie good morning. Get an Paula good morning it's still unclear when those three Americans detained in North Korea will be released. Especially now that then that North Korea says the US is claiming that Washington's. Political pressure and sanctions are what pro Pyongyang to the negotiating table. They don't seem to agree with that the north's official news agency quotes in Foreign Ministry spokesman who says the US is deliberately provoking the DE PRK. At a time when the situation on the Korean Peninsula is moving toward peace and reconciliation. So here's what we know about the man detained Kim Dong tell you sixty years old and has been held the longest in North Korea. He was detained back in 2015 accused of being a spying for South Korea and sentenced to ten years of hard labor. Then there's Tony can and can how song school were both teaching and North Korea's only private university both detained as a tried to leave the country at different times. It's what would their release mean for this impending meeting between president trump and Kim Jung on that so many are looking forward tale. Yeah old Paula honestly who could really say at this point but could -- early to be used as a bargaining chip in the larger negotiation. We think it happened before hostages were released by Iran before. The Iran nuclear deals finalized so US officials they tell us they have every expectation that the three detainees will be released. Before the summit. The denim Paula of course that could always change and mentally Stephanie thank you fast moving developments on this story.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.