>> according to korean culture, according to korean uncles and aunts.t that is a profession, you know. >> i wouldn't have to explain myself if i just said i was a cpa. >> right. >> never. you know that. >> still got some explaining to do. >> still. >> just get it across that i cook, and that there was this phenomenon that happened on the streets of l

>> according to korean culture, according to korean uncles and aunts.gister that that is a profession, you know. >> i wouldn't have to explain myself if i just said i was a cpa. >> right. >> never. you know that. >> still got some explaining to do. >> still. >> just get it across that i cook, and that there was this phenomenon that happened on the streets of l.a. that changed and opened up korean culture to the world. >> what does it mean to be korean-american? does one create one's own world? i don't know that i'm any smarter about that now than when i first came to k-town in the middle of the night to discover a strange and fabulous and delicious slice of america i had never known was there, but i'm trying to figure it out. >>> today, boston is back in business. and adrian, the dancer we introduced you to, is getting better. she'll have some challenges ahead, no doubt about it. not the least of which, making good on her promise to teach me how to dance. i'm anderson cooper. >>> good evening, everyone.

otherwise it's not just the north koreans to do something, the south koreans might react. to get china on board. >> fareed, christian, we'll see you back here tomorrow. this important note to viewers around the world. watch christian's report on cnn international, nightly foreign affairs report and it airs weekdays 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. eastern time here in the united states. tune in to fareed zakaria gps sundays. >>> a nuclear nightmare scenario. why the u.s. believes north korea and iran may be working on korea and iran may be working on weapons. bing it on challenge. [fight bell: ding, ding] what's your preferred search engine? search engine, uhh, probably google. if we do a side by side blind test comparison, and you end up choosing google, you get an xbox. i'll bet you the xbox, you bet me your son. well let's look up what you need. okay, i would do the left. yeah? what?! i am a daddy! bing wins it! bing won. bing did win. people prefer bing over google for the web's top searches. don't believe it? go to bingiton.com and see what you're missing. by the armful? by the bar

this is a korean map from 1402. they believed their country to be on the outskirts of this chinese realm. they saw themselves in the student position to the great chinese teacher. so, in 1910, of course, korea was annexed. here you see the korean soldiers. and for the first few years of the japanese occupation of korea, the japanese ruled their subjects so heavy-handedly that the nascent korean nationalism bubbled over into a big demonstration in 18919, which frightened the japanese, and after that the japanese relaxed some of the repressive policies that had inflammed the koreans and decided to coopt korean national jim instead of trying to stamp it out. they did so with a campaign called, -- which means japan and korea as one body. you see from the map on the left, japan and korea both painted the same color on the school map. the message the japanese spread in korea was that you koreans and we japanese may have drifted apart over the millenia, but we are actually one people. we good back to the same devine progen

the north korean 1992. i'm sure that south korea will continue to abide by that declaration. >> are you ready to go to pyongyang and meet with kim jong-un? >> i have made it consistently clear that i am ready to visit the dprk when and if my visit is helpful, and in close coordination with the concerned parties, particularly the republic of korea and the united states. >> stand by for more of my interview with the united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon. the u.n. secretary-general delivers a direct and powerful message to kim jong-un. i asked him to deliver that message in korean, knowing that they watch cnn international in north korea. at least the elite, the elite government officials and the military do. you'll hear that message in korean. what he has to say to kim jong-un, that's coming up this hour on our special report, the korean crisis. >>> up next, though, we have secret film from inside north korea. very dangerous escape route for people who are starving. >>> and the former president bill cl

attack on south korean soil or on south korean warships and aircraft.nd that is an important message that north korea needs to understand. i think it's an open question based on the fact that the screaps over the decades -- south koreans over the decades have not responded to the north. does, is that message -- has that message fully been taken onboard by pyongyang? do they understand that this south korean government, this south korean president has to respond for domestic, political and other reasons to any future north korean attack? so that's a very important question that we need to understand. beyond that, the united states and the rok have now a joint agreement to consult and map out, if you will, and plan the retaliatory strike to insure that it is mealed and kinetic -- mealed and kinetic and proportional, but also to make sure that we have control. and my sense is it's not clear that pyongyang understands that not only will they be dealing with an rok retaliatory strike, it'll be a combined effort, if you will. it will be planned and consulted

troops in the korean peninsula.while china should be the leverage point, they don't want to push too hard. let's hear from moscow and phil black. >> thank you, david. the russian government said its representative and all other foreign ambassadors in pyongyang have been advised by a north korean official to consider packing up their embassies and pulling out their people. this has seemed to taken russia by surprise. the foreign minister here said what is this exactly? is it a direct order from the north korean leader subpoena or just a suggestion? we're told for the moment it is only a suggestion. the british government says its ambassador was also among those who were washed they could not be protected in the event of a military conflict. and now have all just been given four days to let the north korean government know if they need any help to evacuate. for the moment, both britain and russia say they have no immediate plans to withdraw their people. but they are considering their options. back to you, wolf. >> fo

korean artillery shells had fallen on south korea since the end of the korean war. that was a very disturbing development. there was a limited south korean retaliation at that point, but in the aftermath, the previous rok president made it clear that his government would respond to kinetically.-- under the new president they have made it even more clear that there will be immediate and proportional response to any north korean attack on south korean soil or warships and aircraft. that is an important message that north korea needs to understand. question, is an open based on the fact that south koreans, over the decade, have not responded to the north -- has that message fully been taken on board by pyongyang? do they understand that this south korean government, president has to respond for domestic, political, and other reasons to any attack? that is an important question that we need to understand. beyond that, and the united states and rok now have a joint agreement to consult, map out a plan of the retaliatory strike, it is e mead and kinetic, and proportional,

he once had a south korean actress his favorite south korean actress abducted. she was kidnapped from the beach in hong kong and taken to north korea and required to become basically his actress slave. >> he kidnapped people and that's how they went about that with film and that's how they went about it with migrate uncle. >> his own family experienced the cruelty of the north korean regime. >> migrate uncle was a leading engineer. >> that would be your grandmother's brother. >> my mom and others told me about how during the korean war the north koreans came across the border into south korea they were looking for people that could help them. the story was difficult for her to talk about whenever thnever heard from or seen her brother since. >> the country has been a living hell for millions. >> the famine of the late 1990s killed more than a tenth of the population in north korea. >> we estimate 2-3 million north koreans starved. >> we hear stories of people starving to death, people eating tree bark to survive and worst case scenarios is the story of cannibali

and south korean forces began last month. these annual exercises always prompt an anger reaction from the north koreans. but this time, they seem outraged, because the americans used the b-2 stealth bombers, which is unusual. and the u.s. also tested a b-52 strategic bomber. both planes can carry nuclear missiles. north korean officers, officials, are taking this opportunity to build up supporter for young leader jong-un. they resorted to their old tactic of lashing out against an enemy to build support among citizens. in this case, the enemy is the u.s. and of course south korea. the north koreans are also responding to political change across the border. south koreans elected park geun-hye as president. instead of a candidate who takes a softer approach toward the north. plus, members of the u.n. security council toughened sanctions against the north to try to smother its nuclear and missile programs. china, north korean's longtime ally, voted in favor of the action. >> what is the jong-un regime trying to achieve? what's t

koreans areth paying the north korean government for the north korean labor. the thought has been this is teaching them capitalism, that you can begin to make inroads against the regime that way. i am surprised and disturbed the north koreans seem to be shutting that down. host: what is the population of north koreans in south korea? guest: it is hard to say because some of them go back generations. i think there are at this stage koreany 10,000 north refugees from the current regime in south korea. have arrived there in various ways and are receiving assistance from the government. host: are they able to get across the border, much like the mexican/u.s. border? guest: no one crosses the border. is highly militarized and fortified on the north korean side. refugees escaped through china. it is much easier to get into china, and sometimes come out through southeast asia. that border, is that pretty well open? guest: it is patrolled, but very easy to cross. host: thomas c. hubbard served as u.s. ambassador to south korea from 2004 -- 2001-2004. he works for mcca

north korean crisis, while the u.s. allies run drills, new word that a missile launch could happen literally at any moment without warning. 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

korean territory and the south korean government accepted that. president park has made it clear she will not. that could also cause events to spiral out of control. >> there's reports if the north koreans do launch some sort of a missile or an attack as they did in 2010, they killed several dozen south korean sailors, shelled an island, south korean island, killing some civilians there. the south koreans at that time and the u.s. did not retaliate, but what you're saying is this time there could be significant retaliation? >> well, my understanding of president park's position is that she has made it clear that she will respond, she will retaliate, and it's really only a question of how strong the retaliation will be and what does north korea do at that stage? i can't blame south korea for retaliating. they are a sovereign nation, if they are attacked by the north, president park believes she has to respond. that is an element that was not present in the past and something we have to be very cognizant of and very aware of. >> you're a republican,

what if you're a bad korean?t if you're korean-american and just didn't give a [ muted ] what if you said where do i fit in society? and were unsatisfied with the answers you were getting? what if you were an insanely talented artist in a small startup company facebook asks you to do in murals, and paid you with stock and you became ridiculously wealthy, and you still didn't give a [ muted ]? well, then you might be david choe. >> hi, i'm david choe. ♪ you're like me. >> is that an ak pinata? >> that's an ak-47 pinata. this place is in downtown l.a., so i like to have weapons stored throughout. >> you need a puppy, man. >> i do need a puppy. i'm going to paint you today. is that cool? >> yeah, sure. >> all right. so just sit right there, and -- sorry, i don't usually paint this early in the morning. okay. i'm going to go more expressionistic, if you don't mind. >> i want to know, you said young people are looking to follow your road to success, your advice is, whatever you do, don't date a korean girl? >> okay, i

and his north korean regime? enough is enough. >> with its rhetoric, with its actions, have been skating very close to a dangerous line. >> in the hours before an expected north korean missile test. hagel made clear the u.s. military is ready to respond. >> our country is fully prepared to deal with any contingency, any action that north korea may take or any provocation. >> the joint chiefs chairman offering a grim assessment of how close north korea is to putting a nuclear warhead on a missile. a direct threat to the u.s. >> in the absence of concrete evidence to the contrary, we have to assume the worst case. >> u.s. intelligence indicates the regime in the last few days, may have moved several short range missile launchers around the country. that's on top of the two interest mediate range mobile missiles it parked along the east coast. the u.s. worries multiple missile launches are the first of more provocative actions by the north. no one has forgotten the 2010 shelling of a south korean island by north kor

the north korean troops. we're taking a closer look. >>> and in japan right now, patriot missiles, they are poised. one city has jumped the gun, mistakenly claiming that north korea's missile has launched. ♪ >>> column upon column of highly disciplined soldiers. this is north korea's massive fighting force and they're watching what's going on. they're trained specifically to wage war against south korean and american military forces on the korean peninsula. cnn's tom foreman and cnn contributor retired u.s. army general spider marks take a closer look. >> wolf, the cornerstone of everything we've been talking about for the past couple of weeks is the north korean army. general, walk us through the force of this army. >> this is an army that has over about 1 million folks under arms, very large reserve component. mandatory service, from a couple of years up to ten years. >> a large force, particularly large if we think about the size of the area involved. look at this map of the united states. that's where nor

. >>> up next on a second look, the korean war. we'll take you to the tense border between north and south and the tension that still lingers 16 years after the war ended. >>> plus how the korean war brought the lab that transformed the bay. and how the war in korea helped japan's economy recover from world war ii. it's all straight ahead on a second look. >>> hello everyone i'm frank somerville and welcome to second look. 16 years ago today, north korea and south korea signed a treaty to stop war. but last week north korea said it would no longer honor that agreement. in 1995, reporter kathleen koch brought us this account of the memorial to their memory being dedicated in washington, d.c. >> reporter: standing more than 7 feet tall the stainless steel figures shrog across the field toward a distant flag. near by faces of actual support troops from the korean war. at this dedication president clinton and south korean president kim jung-sam credited the soldiers. >> they set a standard that may be equaled but will never be surpasse

talk about that some. >> the north korean military, the korean people army was trained by the soviets and trained by the chinese communists. so they rely on volumes and volumes of artillery fire. so they have a massive amount of artillery and surface-to-surface missiles. we would see those at the start of a conflict. >> a lot of this has been dug in since the end of the korean conflict. they've been preparing for 50 years for the next one. >> they sure have. where the armistice was signed, back in '53, 1953, is where a lot of those units remain today. >> okay. and beyond that, there is this question of the shear number of people they have for a really quite small country. massive army. >> they have the fifth largest military in the world. over 1 million men under arms. that's on the active component. the reserve component has got about 8 million folks. that's about the largest reserve in the world. >> are they considered to be well trained? >> the active component, very well trained. and in fact, when you compare the military to the population, the military has a much higher level of

did bomb an island, they killed a bunch of south koreans and attacked a south korean warship that killed a lot of sailors. the south koreans at that point did not retaliate. but i suspect if they did those kinds of things again, the situation could explode. >> wolf, i think it's noteworthy that within the last week or ten days there was an agreement reached between the u.s. and the republic of korea. i don't know the details of it, but it sounds to me like it was a heightened effort to consult very closely. in the event of some untoward incident or unpredictable activity on part of the dprk. we work very closely with our south korean allies. there's a well integrated plan. lots of discussion and exercises for many years. we work very well together. there's a high level of confidence between the two militaries. i think this is a time to certainly be very attentive to take prudent precautions, and to consult very closely with our allies in the region, because this is fundamentally a regional issue. >> tommy, you worked with the president for a long time when you were at the national securi

south korean and u.s. officials say there's some activity again at the site that tested the defense in february. >> any future nuclear test or missile launch would be direct violation of u.n. security regulations. >> reporter: it says that it can't protect diplomats in the capital after that date. >> the kind of action that the country would take before it initiated some highly's can la toir or provocative behavior. u.s. officials believe that north korea could be ready to test-fire those ballistics missiles on east coast at any moment. >> barbara starr at the pentagon for the very latest. let's go to the south korea. in case this crisis does escalate into some sort of war. what are you seeing, what's going on? >> well, wolf, many of the preparations that we're seeing are happening very quietly, trying to keep people calm, all of it with an eye to tomorrow, it's wednesday in south korea, tomorrow, the day the south korean government has the highest possibility for a possible missile launch from north korea

hello in korean.rkable way that there is a degree of indoctrination. >> getting the red scarf means you're in the young pioneer corps. >> the can make the comparison. it's obvious. this is clearly highly indoctrinated state where the children are tools of the state. just like it was in hitler. just like it was in stalin and soviet union. >> designed to get children to follow their leaders to the very end. choi was lucky. he was smuggled out at age 14. >> until i escaped to -- from north korea, i could die for them. >> so what does daniel choi think of kim jong-un and his family now? nothing special. they're ordinary men. >> thanks very much for that report. >>> stand by. we have a moving story, a very moving story of a korean war veteran, that's next. erstands businesses are trying to come back from rough economic times. employees are being forced to do more with less. and the need for capable leaders is greater than ever. when you see these problems do you take a step back, or do you want to dive rig

/south korean military drills. defense minister kim kwan-jin spoke at parliamentary committee meeting. >> translator: it's not a long-range missile but it has considerable range. it could be for test firing or for drills. >> a recent u.s. intelligence image shows what looks like a ballistic missile being moved by train to east coast of north korea. the location of a launch site. kim's description matches that of a midrange missile known as musdun. the north koreans unveiled it in 2010 during a military parade. its estimated range of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers puts it in striking distance of japan and a u.s. base on the pacific island of guam. south korean officials say they cannot rule out the possibility that authorities in pyongyang will fire the missile. they say they're closely monitoring activity in the north and are in contact with the u.s. and japan. >>> north korean authorities are making move on another front. they barred south korean workers from entering a jointly run complex. now they're threatening to s

they killed a whole bunch of south koreans. they attacked a south korean warship that killed a lot of sailors. the south koreans at that point did not retaliate, but i suspect if they did those kind of things again the situation could explode. >> wolf, i think it's noteworthy that within the last week or ten days, there was an agreement reached between the u.s. and republic of korea. i don't know the details of it, but it sounds to me like it was a heightened effort to consult very closely in the event of some untoward incident or unpredictable activity on the part of the dprk. you know, we work very, very closely, have for many years with our south korean allies. there's a well integrated plan, lots of discussion and exercises for many years. we worked very well together. there's high level of confidence between the two militaries. and i think again this is a time to certainly be very attentive to take a prudent precautions, which i believe we're doing. and to consult very closely with our allies in the region because this is

the north korean 1992.that declaration. >> are you ready to go to pyongyang and meet with kim jong-un? >> i have made it consistently clear that i am ready to visit the dprk when and if my visit is helpful, and in close coordination with the concerned parties, particularly the republic of korea and the united states. >> stand by for more of my interview with the united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon. the u.n. secretary-general delivers a direct and powerful message to kim jong-un. i asked him to deliver that message in korean, knowing that they watch cnn international in north korea. at least the elite, the elite government officials and the military do. you'll hear that message in korean. what he has to say to kim jong-un, that's coming up this hour on our special report, the korean crisis. >>> up next, though, we have secret film from inside north korea. very dangerous escape route for people who are starving. >>> and the former president bill clinton once called the korean border the scariest plac

their attitude toward south korean workers has changed. >> 50,000 north koreans work for south korean companies in the complex. it is source of badly needed currency for the north. nhk world covers the korean opinions for us. >> reporter: north korean leaders are being more provocative because of u.s. drills. it always triggers some sort of reaction. the north korean regime is taking this opportunity to build support for its young leader kim jong un. it's resulted in old tactic, launching out against an old enemy, the united states. the north korean are trying to heighten the sense of crisis. kim reportedly told a former star american basketball player that he wants to hear from president obama. here's what dennis rodman said in march after his visit to north korea. >> he want obama to to one thing. call him. >> he wants a call from president obama? >> yeah. he said if you can, dennis i don't want to do war. i don't want to do war. he said that to me. >> reporter: obama was reluctant to deal with them during his first term. now that he's started his second term they're hoeing he will

>>> south korean and u.s. military leaders are on the alert. they say north korea may soon launch one missile or more. >>> negotiators from taiwan and japan have found some common ground. they've announced an agreement on fishing near a disputed group of islands. >>> the operators of the fukushima daiichi plant are trying to get a contamination problem under control. they're building more storage to keep radioactive water from getting into the soil. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." >>> south korean defense officials say north korea is ready to fire a ballistic missile from its eastern coast. officials are preparing for various scenarios. they say the north could fire a single missile or launch several at once. north korean forces moved what appear to be a mid range musudan missile to the coast last week. south korean and u.s. forces have been on high alert ever since. south korean official says the missile could be fired east towards the sea of japan or south to the pacific. >> translator: we're not taking any chances. north korea has test-

they proposed resuming talks, but north korean leaders refused. >> the north korean government statement referred to the warning south korea made that it would take serious measures if the north failed to respond to its request for talks. >>> south korea's airlines are joining hands to try to get the north korean's to use restraint. prime minister shinzo abe sat down with the chairman of the u.s. chief of staff. they discussed the north korean provocations and how to respond. >> translator: the security environment is becoming more challenging, strengthen being the alliance between japan and the united states is important for the peace and security of the region. >> they agreed the japanese and americans need to work more closely with the south koreans. they will fulfill their responsibilities under their security pact with japan. dempsey has also been talking with leaders in china. he said the chinese consider islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with japan a tough priority. japan controls the senkaku islands. china and japan claim them. >> they did use the term core interest.

the north koreans were returns remains of an unidentified american or british soldier from the korean the only repatriation this year. no salute between united nations and korean officers. there is still hostility. but this decorated soldier who held the line many years ago is finally coming home. patriots continue to guard freedom at this final frontier of the cold war. >>> and that's it for this week's second look. i'm frank somerville. we'll see you again next week. map the female orgasm is kind of like the bat cave-- few know where it is you probably don't know how you got there, and you can't find your way back after you left. there are two types of female orgasm-- the real and the fake. i'll tell you right now, as a man, we don't know. we do not know. to men, sex is like a car accident. determining the female orgasm is like being asked, "what did you see after the car went out of control?" "i heard a lot of screeching. "i remember facing the wrong way at one point. in the end my body was thrown clear." ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] from the way the bristles move to the way they clean,

and south korean forces. with such tensions, north korean soldiers can't afford to be taking part in military parade. that said, there is little possibility of renewed fighting between the two koreas. u.s. and south korean commanders state their exercise to train their troops in joint operations. and to put on show of strength. leaders in pyongyang are simply responding to that. these are psych local tacticloi. we see little sign that ground troops are preparing for war. no troops have moved south. and we have no reports of anything unusual happening in pyongyang. military tensions always risk causing something unpredictable. a nervous front-line soldier could fire shot by mistake, prompting exchange of gunfire and start a fight that could escalate. with this dynamic, u.s. leaders canceled the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. but we've heard these repeated threats from the north koreans. they may believe that doing nothing would damage morale among their troops. so they may launch a missi

south korean soldiers are facing off with north korean soldiers right on the other side, feet away. the place we are going to enter is actually divided in half. shut down. this is so you don't get grabbed and pulled into north korea. only given a few minutes in here. >> this was technically south korea on this side. to get to north korea, just on the other side of these microphone. the next stop is a lookout. you see there in that tower, that's north korea. you can see the north korean flag flying there. that village right underneath, that's propaganda village. >> they don't believe anyone lives here, it is all for show. one of the most lethal borders is a zone, uninhabitable, so untouched that endangered wildlife and plant species soar here. in contradiction of the world's edge, tourists can visit this lookout, final stop of our press tour where we meet american brothers. >> it is surreal knowing that a few hundred yards that way, there are people starving, being tortured and so forth. you know, it is unreal. >> wondering what will be next. >>> back in washington, lawmakers are pie

so the concern is north koreans may not quite understand that. you know, when you sit alone in north korea for decades on end, you kind of lose a feel for how others react to your behavior. so that's the real concern that they'll have a miscalculation. they'll kind of push their way in something in the demilitarized zone say in the little village there, the so-called peace village and that they'll expect us to back off or something. i'm not sure the south koreans are going to do that. so it is a kind of a tense moment. i think the white house has handled it very well by being resolute on one hand, that is, with these deployments which i think are absolutely essential. i mean they're part of a plan of defending south korea. but at the same time accompanying it with very sort of low-key explanations. part of that is to deal with china. part of th iso show the chinese that we have know interest in escalating this thing, that this whole dance has been started by the north koreans not by us. >> charlie: speaking of the chinese, i mean you wrote a piec

troops in the korean peninsula.china should be the leverage point, they don't want to push too hard. let's hear from moscow and phil black. >> thank you, david. the russian government said its representative and all other foreign ambassadors in pyongyang have been advised by a north korean official to consider packing up their embassies and pulling out their people. this has seemed to taken russia by surprise. the foreign minister here said what is this exactly? is it a direct order from the north korean leader subpoena or just a suggestion? we're told for the moment it is only a suggestion. the british government says its ambassador was also among those who were washed they could not be protected in the event of a military conflict. and now have all just been given four days to let the north korean government know if they need any help to evacuate. for the moment, both britain and russia say they have no immediate plans to withdraw their people. but they are considering their options. back to you, wolf. >> for the

but north korean officials refused. they ignored international protests and in 1994 instrutted scientists to extract plutonium from spent fuel rods. the six-party talks began in 2003 with the goal of halting the north's nuclear development. the north koreans agreed in 2007 to dismantle nuclear facilities at nyongbyon. international atomic energy inspectors confirmed the same year that crews had stopped operating the reactor. by then, former iaea inspector david albright estimated the country already possessed as much as 50 kilograms of plutonium. however, the north koreans might have used up some of their supply. they carried out three nuclear experiments since 2006, the latest in february. analysts believe scientists used plutonium in the first two tests but they are not sure about the third. the people's assembly unanimously adopted legislation on monday to reinforce the nation's status as a nuclear power. that essentially means they show the intention to produce more plutonium to further develop their nuclear program

they're being urged by the north koreans to take shelter or to evacuate to avoid what the north koreans call all out merciless war. japan has boosted its defenses, deploying patriot air defense missile batteries in and around tokyo. and the top u.s. military commander in the pacific says north korea's actions pose a clear and direct threat to america's national security. he adds that if it comes to a fight, the united states is, quote, ready. we'll have a situation room special report on the north korean crisis right at the top of the hour, coming up 6:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. >>> there is breaking news coming in from cuba right now. authorities say they will in fact return to the united states a fugitive american couple and their two young sons who have been holed up aboard a sail boat at a cuban marina. the pair allegedly snatched the boys last week from a grandmother's home in florida. the grandmother had custody of the two children. cnn was the first to spot the fugitives in havana at a marina in the capital and is joining us to tell us the very latest. tell us what's going

two, there is a long korean history, that you are more familiar with probably than i am, and no korean leadership wants to be totally dependent on any one neighbor, so is it the logic of the north korean position to reach out to south korea at some point, and it is obviously that is something interesting to seoul, because they do not want to see china as being the influence. >> trying to allay concerns -- longntainment standing. what is different now is that the u.s. is fully engaged. it was first called a pivot, and now they are rebalancing. this is probably the biggest piece of evidence, so even 52 and the over the b- b-2 bomber flights as well as the increase in of the interceptors, those discussions are, i think, muted by the broader concerns and about rebalancing. with respect to your second point about the u.s. efforts to coordinate more closely with , that being perhaps the most effective way of dealing with north korea, i think there is a desire at the highest levels to do that, but the different types of internal politics, the interest groups that both sets of leaders have to

it houses factories over 120 south korean companies, employs more than 50,000 north koreans. and hundreds more south koreans who commute across the heavily fortified border each week. south korean managers and workers feared the travel ban would cost jobs and hurt business far beyond kaesong. >> ( translated ): it's very serious. given the current situation, factory operations could have problems two to three days later and it will damage deliveries. >> ( translated ): it will cause >> ifill: south korea's unification minister urged kim jong un's government to reverse its decision. >> ( translated ): north korea's measure to suspend the industrial zone is an obstacle to the stable management of the zone. we urge the north to immediately normalize the access to the kaesong industrial zone. >> ifill: today's border action is the latest response to south korea's ongoing joint military exercises with the u.s. it comes a day after north korea announced it would restart production of nuclear weapon materials. and today north korean state television broadcast an undated video of wha

against each other for pan-korean legitimacy.es an existential threat in the sheer existence of south korea, a far more attractive, more successful, richer country. so north korea basically gets by on blackmail, extortion, and the sales of illicit activities. if north korea were not able to retain that capability to be a political factor in international politics by causing problems for the world's greatest powers, why would they go on giving to north korea? and why would north korea give that capability up, primarily achieved by the relentless pursuit of nuclear long-range missile capabilities. north korea calculates it can do it again. cause problems, back down, and then get the world's greatest powers to return to talks. >> so in other words, north korea just wants to make noise. they just want to matter. so bluffing is worthy. >> that's right. it's a fundamental aspect to regime preservation. if they were docile or a normal peaceful country, they would be relegated to the status, the economic political status that they are. a

koreans have been living in this climate for the past 60 years since the end of the korean war don't know what all the fuss is about. but as you can tell here -- they're here to party, the words of wisdom to their angly northern neighbor. if north korea had someone with psy with a good personality there wouldn't be war, only peace, says this woman. kim jung-un needs to take a page out of psy's book and lighten up. >> the south koreans more interested in partying. >> yes. as usual, what a dichotomy between the south and the north. thank you. >>> turning to politics, another republican has come out in support of the background check bill. susan collins of maine told nbc news she thinks the bill is a responsible compromise. she supports it because it would not require background checks made for sales by relatives. background checks to sales at gun shows and online. >>> and this weekend, nascar found itself in the middle of a gun debate because the nra sponsored yesterday's race at the texas motor speedway. >> drivers, start your engines! >> he'll be able to go the di distance. >> the ra

the war of words soars on the korean peninsula with many south koreans fearing conflict as pyongyang suspends access to a crucial industrial zone jointly run with. the presidential race now underway in venezuela we take a look at whether any of the main candidates could fill the shoes of the late. top stories this hour. live from our new center here in moscow this is r.t. with you twenty four hours a day. we start with our developing story a fire is raging in the tallest skyscraper in the chechen capital grozny located in russia's north caucasus the forty story building part of a new multi million dollar complex as been reduced to little more than a burn talent shell more details now from our correspondent lindsey france. around six pm local time reports came in that a large fire has started around the thirtieth floor of the one hundred forty five meter tall olympus building now that is a part of the cross in the center complex that was just completed in two thousand and eleven the luxury hotel and apartment building now this building contains the largest clock to sit on top of the b

military assets due to the latest north korean threat? >> we are keenly aware of the recent provocations by north korea. and we have forces postured in the region to respond to potential threats from north korea. and that's what we do on a regular basis. we're also acutely aware of the recent provocations, and we will take appropriate measures -- and not all of which i will describe from this podium -- to ensure that we have the assets in place to defend south korea, our own forces in the region, and our allies. >> you will take? so you haven't surged any assets to this point? >> we have a range of assets that have been deployed and that could be deployed to ensure that we have adequate resources in the region to provide for defense of south korea and our own personnel and interests. that's what we do on a regular basis. we respond to different circumstances, different threats, not just in the asia- pacific, but elsewhere in the world. and that's what we do as a united states military. we ensure that we have the diversity of assets availa

korean territory and the south korean government accepted that.has made it clear she will not. that could also cause events to spiral out of control. >> there's reports if the north koreans do launch some sort of a missile or an attack as they did in 2010, they killed several dozen south korean sailors, shelled an island, south korean island, killing some civilians there. the south koreans at that time and the u.s. did not retaliate, but what you're saying is this time there could be significant retaliation? >> well, my understanding of president park's position is that she has made it clear that she will respond, she will retaliate, and it's really only a question of how strong the retaliation will be and what does north korea do at that stage? i can't blame south korea for retaliating. they are a sovereign nation, if they are attacked by the north, president park believes she has to respond. that is an element that was not present in the past and something we have to be very cognizant of and very aware of. >> you're a republican, you've criticiz