they used them to make soup. >> what do you think of kim jong-un and what do you think of what he's threateningo do? >> translator: kim jong-un is trying to be more extreme than his father. and trying to distract the north korean people from their own problems and complaints. >> reporter: south korean pop in north korea, on a smuggled dvd, the sights and sounds of the 21st century. for those trapped in time this a thit mare. it's a glimpse of another world so near and yet so far away. >> angus walker is joining us now from the south korean capital. you've actually been there to north korea a couple of times, angus. what's your assessment right now? how close are we to this crisis spilling over into actual military hostilities? >> well, i think if kim jong-un launched a missile aimed at south korea, japan, or u.s. targets, then he would be effectively committing suicide. so i think the north koreans will be trying to do something which will capture the world's attention. that's what they want. they want attention. they've launched missiles before. they've launched missiles which have flown over

and not on kim jong-un.e've been hearing that and talking about that for the last several days since this crisis has ratcheted up. i've been speaking to quite a lot of experts, and mike chanoy, who used to be a cnn correspondent and visited there 15 times, who met kim il-sung, and who has been there very recently, he feels the game has changed in north korea. that they're no longer -- they've changed their calculation. they want to be taken seriously as a nuclear state. and so the united states has to come up with some kind of way to deal with this. as he points out and as we know, sanctions, and the, you know, the punishments that have been inflicted on north korea haven't actually worked when it comes to their programs. i mean, they keep testing nuclear devices. and according to the experts, they do get marginally better at it, including their missiles. the united states is not going to go to war over north korea with all those consequences that it would have. so what's the answer? so after this crisis, wh

plus, kim jong-un's family secrets. how he rose to power over his brothers and his insecurities right now and a clear and direct threat to america. very strong words. the troops are preparing for the worst. >>> a u.s. official tells us that a launch of north korea's missiles may be imminent and it may happen without the usual warning to planes and ships in the region. that's a very, very dangerous scenario. defensive missiles are now poised in japan, in south korea and on guam where there are 6,000 troops. the united states says it will track any missiles launched by kim jong-un and quickly decide whether to shoot them down. our correspondents are covering this from around the world. we're being joined this hour and being followed by every new development. first, let's go to our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence for the very latest. >> reporter: wolf, a u.s. official says north korea could test a mobile ballistic missile at any time. what happens after that depends on where that test takes place. the u.s. has been p

and not on kim jong-un.hearing that and talking about that for the last several days since this crisis has ratcheted up. i've been speaking to quite a lot of experts, and mike chanoy, who used to be a cnn correspondent and visited there 15 times recently. he feels the game has changed in north korea. that they're no longer -- they've changed their calculation. they want to be taken seriously as a nuclear state. and so the united states has to come up with some kind of way to deal with this. as he points out and as we know, sanctions, and the, you know, the punishments that have been inflicted on north korea haven't actually worked when it comes to their programs. i mean, they keep testing nuclear devices. and according to the experts, they do get marginally better at it, including their missiles. the united states is not going to go to war over north korea with all those consequences that it would have. so what's the answer? so after this crisis, which they believe will pass with the north koreans able to sa

but kim jong-un is an enigma and a dangerous one at that. the youngest son of kim jong-il he had a privileged upbringing while millions of north koreans starved. attending a boarding school in switzerland under a false name. a classmate remembers him as a shy teenager. >> he was very quiet. he didn't speak with anyone. he was competitive at sports. he didn't like to lose. >> he liked basketball and football and video games. his father had served a long apprenticeship before taking over the kingdom. but kim jong-un became a general in his 20s without serving a day in the military. when his father died in 2011, kim jong-un became supreme leader and the propaganda machine went into overdrive. >> they had been trying to establish his expertise, he speaks eight language, he's a military genius. >> reporter: and a leader with the complete backing of the military. in the first public remarks as leader he spoke of the heart break of a divided korea, but there was also a warning. >> our military has become a powerful military. able to handle any kind

pregnant, may have given birth to a daughter, but nothing solid beyond that. >> we also know that kim jong-unther relative that has significant power, influence in north korea. >> his uncle, heard to kim's late father's sister. he was a key player behind the scenes during the transition, while kim jong-un learned the ropes. analysts believe the uncle may still be running the government in large part, dealing with policy and things like that, while kim jong-un makes all the public appearances and deals with the maneuver. it's a lot of tea leaf reading, but you get some insights. >> u.s. intelligence obviously trying to learn as much as they can. let's get more with the chief responsibility correspondent christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria, the host of fareed zakaria gps. christiane, they believe now a test launch of north korean missiles could be imminent, and that north korea would not give the standard warning to shipping in the region, to aviation in the region. they're taking this very, very seriously. what do you make of this? >> well, obviously it has to be taken very, very seriously.

north korean video show us how kim jong-un wants the world to see him. but they barely give us a peek into kim's inner circle. what are we not seeing in this video? >> the people whispering to him in the ear, his key advisers. >> reporter: joseph is a retired intelligence official who focused on korea. >> here we see a row of male officials, and one woman. who is she? >> this is the aunt. this is the sister of kim jong-il. >> reporter: she holds powerful positions in north korea's cabinet. they made her a four-star general in 2010 and she helped transfer power from her brother to her nephew. >> she is someone who is an operator behind the scenes. >> reporter: and the most powerful woman in north korea. >> but it's her husband who is the rainmaker of the kim regime. >> reporter: he led north korea's attempt to revive the economy, and has extensive ties to china of the he's now kim's key policy adviser. >> he's come very far, in a very short period of time. from number 19th to number 2. >> reporter: he may be the closest north korea has to a reformer. >> an

had enough of kim jong-un and his leadership. pushing the rhetoric to the breaking point. e thing that's also a factor, this young leader doesn't have the relationship with china's leaders, in the past kim jong il, previous dictators in north korea were able to sit down man to man with china. now it's an unknown quantity. >> how much coverage, david s this crisis with north korea getting in china, how are they playing it? >> well, it's getting a lot of coverage here. certainly a little built in china, it's a large border with north korea. north korea has always been the close ally, but unruly cousin of china since the korean war. it's getting a lot of front-page and middle of the page coverage. no open criticism of the military buildup by the united states. it's clearly tas it approval that the united states is getting into the region in a bigger way. and also possibly pointing the finger at north korea. >> wolf? >> david, joining us from beijing. thank you very much. >>> the former u.s. ambassador to china is jon huntsman, joining us now. thanks very much, mr. ambassador,

you didn't know kim jong-un. do you feel the same love and devotion to him that you felt to kim jong-il, just by watching this television? yes, i feel the same. he looks like kim il-sung, exactly like his grandfather. he's the same. he's doing exactly what his grandfather and his father did. the power of propaganda on a people, the power of a regime. remember, this is a woman who risked her life to get out of north korea, to escape this regime. and she's still having this response. wolf, it is certainly a window into us understanding how north korea can continue to exist. >> it really is amazing when you think about it. kyung lah if seoul, thank you for that report. let's bring back our chief international correspondent christiane amanpour, and fareed zakaria. christiane, you see this love supposedly that even this defector still has for the kim dynasty. what does it tell you about that power, that that family wields over the north korean people? >> well, i think that it's infatuation. i've been there. i was in p

kim jung un. he speaks in korean directly to kim jung un. they watch cnn international in pyongyang. you'll hear what that message to kim jong un from ban ki-moon is coming up at the top of the next hour. ban ki-moon as i said met in the oval office with the president who himself had this to say about the latest threats from north korea. >> now is the time for north korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking and to try to lower temperatures. nobody wants to see a conflict on the korean peninsula. >> once again we'll have much more coming up on the crisis with north korea. our special report here in the situation room comes up right at the top of the hour, 6:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. let's move on to other important news here in washington. president obama's budget blueprint has something for almost everyone to dislike. it would raise taxes on the wealthy but also could reduce some medicare and social security benefits. that has some liberals up in arms. let's go to our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin watching this story unfold. what is the very latest, jessica, the reaction

but kim jong-un was catapulted into the leadership suddenly becoming a general in his mid 20s without serving a day in the military. when his father died in december of 2011, kim jong-un became supreme leader and the state propaganda machine went into overdrive. >> they've been trying to establish this myth regarding his expertise, he speeds eight languages, he's a military genius, technical genius. >> and a lead we are the complete backing of the military. in his first public remarks, he spoke of the heartbreak of a divided korea. but there was also a warning. >> translator: our military has become a powerful military, able to handle any kind of modern warfare with complete offensive and defensive capabilities. the foreign powers are not the only ones with monopoly on military supremacy. >> reporter: but he also promised no more famine. >> translator: it is our party's firmest resolve not to let our citizens go hungry again. >> reporter: as he's consolidated his rule, kim has tried to promote his youthful side, attending a concert with disney characters, and a youth festival. watchin

kim jong il, there was provocation and retreat, provocation and retreat. when he ratcheted too far, kim jong-il ratcheted back a little bit. what's new now is they don't know what motivates kim jong-uny knows, certainly not the united states, has had face-to-face meetings with kim jong-un. what is he trying to prove, if anything, what would he do, who's pulling the strings, does he know when to hold them, when to fold them, so to speak. >> we'll soon find out. thanks very much. ambassador chris hill, thanks to you, as well. >> thank you. >> thank you. >>> in a minute i'll speak with the former united states ambassador to china, jon huntsman and ask whether a new harder line from china will do any good in this crisis unfolding. the american dream is of a better future, a confident retirement. those dreams have taken a beating lately. but no way we're going to let them die. ♪ ameriprise advisors can help keep your dreams alive like they helped millions of others. by listening. planning. working one on one. that's what ameriprise financial does. and that's what they can do with you. that's how ameriprise puts more within reach. ♪ that's how ameriprise puts more a brand new start.. your

united nations secretary general ban ki-moon delivers direct appeal to the north korean leader, kim jong-un>>> now a cnn exclusive. the u.s. secretary general making a direct appeal to north korea's kim jong-un in his native language. it happened during my interview in "the situation room" with ban ki-moon. listen to this. >> they're watching you in pyongyang right now on cnn international. if you have a chance to speak directly right now to kim jong-un, you can make a statement, make a request from him, what would you say to him? >> i would strongly ask him to first of all refrain from taking any such provocative measures, which is clearly in violation against the security council resolution and against the community. i would strongly urge him to enhance the living standard of his own people when they're suffering from economic difficulty. >> one final question, secretary general. look at that camera, right over there. speak to kim jong-un in korean. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> secretary general, thank you so much for coming in. let's hope this crisis wit

think a lot of these event from dennis rodman up to today have really been staged managed because kim jong-un does need that legitimacy. the problem is you got a new south korean leader. she can't back down. the chinese aren't going to back down either. they've got a troubled transition. and kim jong-un, his position in the regime is fragile. so the last thing he can do is show weakness. that's the real problem. you got a lot of leaders who don't have very much flexibility. >> arthel: that's exactly my point. so if secretary of state kerry is there in south korea to try to ease tensions and you're saying the likelihood or a possibility if kim jong-un will make a move, he'll do it while secretary kerry is there to prove a point. it's very dangerous and i want to ask you then, it's beyond now, i think, beyond a game of chicken. it's now moved to a game of chess because the u.s. has deployed a thad by guam, to shoot down intermediate ballistic missiles which is what he has there, posted. so again, it's no longer just chicken. how much should the united states do? i mean, we don't want to start a

and not on kim jong-un.alking about that for the last several days since this crisis has ratcheted up. i've been speaking to quite a lot experts, and mike cha noi who has visited there 15 times who has met kim il sung, he feels that the sort of game has changed in north korea. that they're no longer -- they've changed their calculation. they want to be taken seriously as a nuclear state. and so the united states has to come up with some kind of way to deal with this. as he points out and as we know, sanctions, and the, you know, the punishments that have been inflicted on north korea haven't actually worked when it comes to their programs. i mean, they keep testing nuclear devices. and according to the experts, they do get marginally better at it, including their missiles. the united states is not going to go to war over north korea with all those consequences that it would have. so what's the answer? so after this crisis, which they believe will pass with the north koreans able to say, look, you know, we di

jong- jong-il, dismissed his oldest son, as quote, girlish, and said of kim jong-un, that boy is like me. interestingly, now kim jong-un seems to be imitating his grandfather, north korea's founder. notice the hairstyle, the hat, and like his grandfather, he gives big public speeches. in contrast, his father is only known to have uttered two sentences in public. ever. the grandfather gained fame and power by fighting the japanese in world war ii. now kim jong-un is taking on a bigger superpower, even threatening a nuclear attack against the united states. but like his grandfather, also a brutal dictator, the grandson is believed to be coldly calculating, but not crazy. how stable is he? how volatile is he? >> i think he's dangerous but not unstable. i'm not concerned that north korea will launch a single nuclear warhead against washington. they would know that's national suicide. >> reporter: white house officials believe the threats are more tactical than a real move towards war. nobody knows for sure. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> thank you, jon. >>>

north korean video show us how kim jong-un wants the world to see him. barely give us a peek into kim's inner circle. what are we not seeing in this video? >> the people whispering to him in the ear, his key advise ers. >> reporter: joseph is a retired intelligence official who focused on korea. >> here we see a row of male officials, and one woman. who is she? >> this is the aunt. this is the sister of kim jong-il. >> reporter: she holds powerful positions in north korea's cabinet. they made her a four-star general in 2010 and she helped transfer power from her brother to her nephew. >> she is someone who is an operator behind the scenes. >> reporter: and the most powerful woman in north korea. >> but it's her husband who is the rainmaker of the kim regime. >> reporter: he led north korea's attempt to revive the economy, and has extensive ties to china of the he's now kim's key policy adviser. >> he's come very far, in a very short period of time. from number 19th to number 2. >> reporter: he may be the closest north korea has to a reformer. >> anyone w

can you give an olive branch to kim jong un?no, he is never going to give up the north koreans nuclear weapons program. a threat in northeast asia and threat around the world. honestly, we don't know who is running north so, psychoanalyzing the third leader isn't going to get us very far. but i will tell you who is watching it closely as you mentioned are the ayatollahs and tehran. to the extent it look like the united states is slipping back in to the failed effort to negotiate with north korea, they are doing the equivalent of opening champagne in tehran. because it means that the path to negotiation for them giving them more pressure time to perfect their nuclear and ballistic missile program is right there in front of them. >> what is that message to iran? there have been reports that the top iranian officials have been in north korea. and involved in the missile tests and the missile production. what are they learning? >> well, i think they are saying that there is every insennive to getting toward being a full-phlegmed nuc

pregnant, may have given birth to a daughter, but nothing solid beyond that. >> we also know that kim jong-unicant power, influence in north korea. >> his uncle, heard to kim's late father's sister. he was a key player behind the scenes during the transition, while kim jong-un learned the ropes. analysts believe the uncle may still be running the government in large part, dealing with policy and things like that, while kim jong-un makes all the public appearances and deals with the maneuver. it's a lot of tea leaf reading, but you get some insights. >> u.s. intelligence obviously trying to learn as much as they can. let's get more with the chief responsibility correspondent christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria, the host of fareed zakaria gps. christiane, they believe now a test launch of north korean missiles could be imminent, and that north korea would not give the standard warning to shipping in the region, to aviation in the region. they're taking this very, very seriously. what do you make of this? >> well, obviously it has to be taken very, very seriously. i think, look, i've got the

kim jong-un is in pane ways an enigma, and a dangerous one at that. m jong-il, he had a privileged upbringing while millions of north koreans starved. brazilian classmate remembers him as a shy teenager. >> he was very quiet. he didn't speak with anyone. he was a competitive at sports. for him, he didn't like to lose. >> reporter: he liked basketball and football and video games. his father had served a long apprenticeship before taking over the kingdom. but kim jong-un was catapulted into the leadership without serving a day in the military. when his father died in december of 2011, kim jong-un became supreme leader if the state propaganda machine. >> they've been trying to establish this myth regarding his expertise. he speaks eight languages, a military genius, and technical genius. >> reporter: and a leader with a complete backing of the military. in his first public remarks as leader, he talked about the heart break of a divided korea. but there was also a warning. >> translator: our military has become a powerful military. able to handle any kind

you didn't know kim jong-un.on to him that you felt to kim jong-il, just by watching this television? yes, i feel the same. he looks like kim il-sung, exactly like his grandfather. he's the same. he's doing exactly what his grandfather and his father did. the power of propaganda on a people, the power of a regime. remember, this is a woman who risked her life to get out of north korea, to escape this regime. and she's still having this response. wolf, it is certainly a window into us understanding how north korea can continue to exist. >> it really is amazing when you think about it. kyung lah if seoul, thank you for that report. let's bring back our chief international correspondent christiane amanpour, and fareed zakaria. christiane, you see this love supposedly that even this defector still has for the kim dynasty. what does it tell you about that power, that that family wields over the north korean people? >> well, i think that it's infatuation. i've been there. i was in pyongyang twice, and i went up to wher

. >> the bottom line is very simply that what kim jong-un has been choosing to do is provocative, it is dangerous, reckless, and the united states will not accept the dprk as a nuclear state. >> north korea detonated a small nuclear bomb seven weeks ago. this has escalated the ongoing cycle of provocation by north korea and counter-provocation by the u.s. and the u.n. march 7th, u.n. security council votes unanimously to sanction pee i don't sanction pyongyang. march 11th, the u.s., and south korea, our longstanding ally, began joint annual war games. march 12th. north korea nullifies korean war's 60-year-old armistice between north and south and threatens to attack. march 20, north korea launches cyber attack on seoul, south korea. march 22. the u.s. and ally south korea announce an agreement to retaliate jointly against any attack. march 26th, north korea puts artillery and market forces on highest alert and cuts its hotline to south korea. march 28th. the u.s. displays its nuclear umbrella in action. two b-2 stealth bombers make a daylight bombing run in south korea. april 2, tues

what can he and the chinese leadership do to walk kim jong- un from the brink? >> we have a problem together. china may be able to unlock the problem. they have enormous leverage with north korea and the u.s. wants to show -- it is showing a lot of toughness and resolve and you saw that in seoul, and it is looking to be restrained so as not to provoke the young leader and china has the capacity to give kim jong-un the message that china naand and russia stop.orth korea to >> is china unwilling to use the leverage for food and fuel, or just unable? >> china has been conflicted. they don't want to see a threat to korea but china is afraid of a disintergration leading to a refugee flow, and the korean penninsula united in the u.s. and gavive an advatage. this week, the new chinese president showed his frustration with north korea's leadership. chinese areoepe the hoping they will be more reasonable. >> who has influence with kim jong-un now? >> most believe china is the only country. the russian government as well. they have military assistance and it is important

yet kim jong un has the cash to make weapons and threaten the world. m? here is chris lawrence. >> reporter: when it comes to selling technology, the launch pad is kim jong un's showroom. in the missile test, doubles as a marketing tool. >> telling other countries, look what you could have also for a price. >> reporter: libya and iran are willing clients. but former u.s. intelligence official says sanctions have cut into sales. kim is profiting off illegal weapons but brings in 20 to $100 million less than his father. >> how important is money to kim jong un? >> money is key. he's got the keep the ee leets happy. >> reporter: north korea has its own version of the 1%. kim needs that money stream to keep them on his side. fortunately for kim, north korea has legal goods and a willing trade partner right next door. who is kim's link to china? >> it has to be jong. >> and jong is part of the family. kim elevated his ufrpg toll number two. he oversees some of the state run trading companies which mine reserves like coal and iron ore. he uses connections to

does this mean kim jong-un isn't bluffing? secretary of state jan kerry warned the u.s. osely. >> the bottom line is very simply that what kim jong-un has been choosing to do is provocative, dangerous, reckless, and the united states will not september the dprk as a nuclear

right up there, kim jong-il and his son, kim jong-un. the goal of all of this was purely political. heir apparent to the kim family dynasty, kim jong-un. out and about in the capital, no one seemed to know much about kim jong-un. do you know what his age is? what he is like? it seemed the young general was everywhere we went from stadiums to the public squares, but never uttered a word. we should point out when kim jong-il's father named him as heir apparent in 1980 it wasn't until 12 years later that he first spoke in public. so for those anxious to hear from the next leader of the kingdom, sit tight, it could be a while. you should know north korea has long turned its lights off at night because of a shortage of electricity. if you looked at the satellite view you can see the lights are elsewhere. compare this trip to the last one i was on. there is actually more lights out at night than before. maybe something is changing. also remember, three days ago there were almost no pictures of kim jong-un, heir apparent. but here in the leading paper, you can see him right there. two seats

kim jong-un emerged from two weeks of absence. he appeared to be flanked by members of his military as he visited the glass encased coffins of his grandfather and his father to pay what the north koreans said was the humblest of respects. meantime, in south korea, people got up, had breakfast and went to work and opened up the newspaper. it wasn't kim jong-un on the cover, no, it was psy and the release of his new single. the media here came under a little criticism because of the way that they have described these lavish celebrations in north korea at a time when so many people there are hungry. the north koreans lashed out at them saying that it was not at all the kind of thing that they should be saying on a day like this. there is still focus on mr. kerry's trip here. it is thought to have been a very positive trip and some of the comments he made in japan. >> we need to make it clear that they have to move towards the denuclearization and they need to stop the threats and missile test, stop the nuclear tests and we're prepare

what they are all going to do i think is premature because they don't know to what extent kim jong-un is bluffing and just trying to assert himself. >> china and japan are probably gauging their positions on whether or not they should enter into this, correct? >> that's right. they have to figure on what to do. these two countries have not worked together on too many things but on this issue they can. >> is this all a replay of earlier history? >> to some extent it is. remember, we had a little to do with korea. >> yes, we did. >> we don't want to repeat that, and particularly we don't want to repeat with it troops on the ground. so we will find a way to deal with north korea with our sophisticated weaponry. >> a good recap of that earlier history, read kissinger's most recent book. not his most recent on china. maybe it's in there but the slightly earlier one, because kissinger was handling all that. >> that's right. the problem with kim jong-un is we don't know what the heck he is up to because he is behaving kind of like the crazy guy in the pen ten tree who nobody wants to go near

to believe, though, and many have said that they believe that kim jong-un is just a puppet and that als are the real power behind the throne. is that so, gordon. >> actually, i don't think so. kim jong-un started out his reign by trying to purge generals and he tried to elevate the careenia workers party to a position that was equal to the military. because under his father, the military was at the top of the regime. right now i think that what kim jong-un is trying to do is to get the support of the generals after his zlafr rous purge last year. i think it really is at a point where we don't know too much but i don't think the generals are running it. i think they're competing for pow and that's what makes this so messy and dangerous. >> that leads to my next question. so how secure is the regime? we know china is propping it up in many ways. will we see the kim dynasty collapse in your lifetime. >>> i think we will. i don't know how safe and sigh cure it is at the moment. the problem we've got in china, you've got a leadership transition that is tur multirous. the generals have bec

kim jong-un is often seen with his troops or presiding over grand parades.he north korean people are also fascinated by the woman who is often by his side. north korea's silent but very fashionable first lady is who i'm talking about. anna coren has more from seoul. >> reporter: sometimes seen, never heard, the lady in red is comrade ri sol introduced to the north korean people as kim jong-un's wife last july. and seen here touring a new pleasure center, always a differential step behind the great leader. >> i think there's very little publicly known. i know there were some reports that he had been married in 2009. there's speculation that he might even have a child. >> reporter: analysts say that introducing ri sol introduces several purposes for the regime. it shows that the kim dynasty is thinking about its next generation and helps kim jong-un come across as more personable and connected to the people. at the same time it gives the 28 or 29-year-old leader an hora of maturity. >> i think announcing his marriage sort of consolidates the fact that he is re

kim jong un a "sch muck." . would say it doesn't matter he will make its calculations based on survival and on his benefactors. is it china behind this? my analysis is that china is not behind this. korea.pply north china did urge north korea not to do the nuclear test. if you push too hard, you might reveal your own impotence. the chinese have a delicate balance to strike. staianiniane the palac issue for another show. they do not have the ability to nuke austin, texas. there is a lot of dangerous things they can do. they have sunk a south korean ship. that was not a bluff. .he south korean sailors died people died in another attack, too. there are provocations that north korea can take including detonating bombs and targeting small killings of south koreans. that can be very serious. today."chart fom "usa host: these numbers seem that north korea is favored when it comes to the neighbors -- numbers. is a discussion that hopefully will never be actualized. betternario would mean devastation most for the people

> reporter: it is easy to forget that before he started impersonating a bad james bond villain, kim jong-un was trying to portray himself as a modernizer with a glamorous young wife, even a new friend in former nba star dennis rodman. and while kim is threatening armageddon with more passion even than his father, groups heading there for monday's holiday sees preparation for war. >> it appears to be the same as the other 100 plus times i've experienced it, it doesn't appear to be any added tension. >> reporter: nobody here is heading to the bunker. his photographs of everyday life offer a strange reassurance that war is perhaps not quite as imminent as their leader suggests. ian williams, nbc news, beijing. >>> up next for us tonight, a new look at the man who changed baseball and all of america. >> playing ball. >> play ball! >>> for many baseball fans, the number 42 holds an almost sacred significance, the man who wore it changed the face of america's past time, and helped change america itself. so it is only fitting that jackie robinson's story would one day be immortalized in a big budg

now the question is what does kim jong-un do if anything?ake a step back or furthest congratulate? that will tell us about where this is going. >> you mentioned the new president. in part he said no one should be allowed to throw a whole region, even the whole world into chaos for selfish gain. those were made by the china president. >> i'm sure if there has been that kind of a public statement, there has been that kind of a private conversation. but as jim said in his report, the real question is, to what extent is kim jong-un listening to his primary benefactor. clearly china does not have the same level of influence as it had on kim's father. so we'll have to see at what point in time he either processes what china is telling him or ignores what china is telling him. >> secretary of state kerry will be in the region later this week. he is going to china, south korea and japan to discuss diplomacy. to your point, how kim jong-un's father was dealt with and how this young man could be dealt with would be completely different. with his fathe

it is a twisted tale of a third son, born to kim jong-il's mistress. kim jong-un reported to have been pampered as a young man. sent to boarding school in switzerland, developed an affinity for james bond and the nba, hence the recent dennis rodman visit. he spent virtually no time in north korea's army when his father elevated him to a general's rank in 2010. that was one of the first signs that kim had leapfrogged his two older brothers. why? on the eldest, kim john nam, believed to be about 41. >> he made the mistake of taking his playboy lifestyle abroad and arrested by the japanese police in 2001, trying to go to tokyo and disney world. the japanese police spent hours and hours with him. which means the cia and other intelligence services learned a lot about him. >> reporter: analyst mike green says kim john nan is a gamler, speaks to journalists too much for the family's liking. >> they can't kill him but can't let him run the country. he's not a reliable vehicle for the cult of personality for the stalinist propaganda. >>> then the mysterious middle brother

what is kim jong-il's boy up here? >> kim jong-unarned his forces are ready to as he put it "settle accounts with the united states." >> look past the picture of kim jong-un. there's a chart with missile trails aiming at hawaii, california, d.c. and for some reason austin, texas. [ laughter ] >> jon: you are going to blow up austin, texas. what are you just trying to get the rest of texas. it on your side? [laughter] or -- are you trying to get the rest of texas on your side? or did they reject your indi film little miss unshine. is that what you are mad about? all right. nice legs. old kim is trying to scare us a little bit. the bombing austin thing undercuts but what snels. >> this showing north korean military leaders looking at a computer that looks pretty antiquated. >> jon: let me stop you right there. it doesn't look antiquated it looks like a harpsicord with a panic button. planning to start a nuclear war or play nights in what satin, wow, am i old. i thought that would land there but perhaps the audience was thinking well th

intelligence was moderately confident north korean leader kim jong-un does have a nuke small enough toput on a missile. the white house today called that assessment preliminary. >> i want to be clear that north korea has not demonstrated the capability to deploy a nuclear-armed missile. >> reporter: kerry made clear kim must not build more nukes or launch any missiles. >> it is a huge mistake for him to choose to do that, because it will further isolate his country. >> reporter: what might jar north korea into backing off? china pulling the plug on food aid. more north koreans could starve, a disaster for kim's government. >> they have been pursuing a policy of guns and butter. they have the guns. they don't have the butter. >> reporter: kerry goes next to beijing to try to get china to lean harder on north korea. but eclipsing the north korean crisis as the big news in seoul was a new single by south korean pop star psy, something to smile about on a peninsula worried about war. >> that was steve handelsman reporting from washington, d.c. >>> the widow of apple co-founder steve jobs i

kim jong-un knows that. he's playing the chinese very well. and he knows one other thing, while the united states still talks officially about denuclearizing the korean peninsula, he takes a look at the world and he says, gadhafi gave up his nuclear weapon program and look at what happened to him. saddam hussein never had a nuclear weapons program and look at what happened to him. tell me, again, why i'm supposed to give up this small arsenal of nuclear weapons, it's the only thing that's keeping -- >> martha, the nuclear talks with iran basically failed again. you have to believe that iran is watching this as well, and says, he's got nuclear weapons, he has a stronger hand. >> not only watching it, but i think there's cooperation between north korea and iran. in fact that's something else that general thurman and other officials -- >> what kind of cooperation? >> cooperation on nuclear program. north korea wants money and iran wants nukes. >> it could be one of the effects of the iraq war, a lot of people around the world drew the conclusion

let's talk about kim jong-un of course the leader of north korea. he's only 30 years of age. is he doing this all of this on his own or listening to hardliners within his regime? >> it's an important question and we don't have a good answer to it. it may be that kim is the, you know, the third in a line of hereditary communist dictators, that's a unique situation in the world in and of itself, maybe he's in charge of north korea. it may be that he's simply a figure head and the military is in charge or it could be a hundred different variations of that in between. that's one of the reasons why it's so difficult to understand exactly what their logic is, because their leadership structure is not transparent and we really don't know the balance of power within it. one would have to say that it looks like a year into office this could be an effort to try and prove himself and that's why, for example, launching these missiles that we've just heard described, is being prepared for launching, could be a way of showing his determination to withstand pressure from the outside. and yo

who is kim jong-un. and that is one of the big things the united states doesn't know. no official from the united states has met with kim jong-un. no amount of third-hand snippets from diplomats in pyongyang is going to really stand in for what's vital. and that is some kind of knowledge from some kind of top u.s. envoy, not in the administration, maybe, but a top envoy who can talk to kim jong-un at some point. so, yes, that is the problem. they think, the experts, that he is in charge. that he's actually test-fired several things over the last, you know, year or more that he's been in power. that he's shuffled around areas of the military, that he's made speeches on trying to, you know, improve the economy. that, yes, he probably has a good and solid relationship with his generals. and particularly with that famous uncle of his who we've heard so much about. >> it's interesting. i read someone from seoul say the farther one is from the korean peninsula, the more worry about recent developments there is. as a matter of fact, people come up on the subway today saying, g