here is our cnn crew, and we're in pyongyang for five days.ries that north korea wants the world to see about water parks and wrestling. and the next thing they know, they get this phone call in the middle of lunch, hey, you're going to meet with a high-ranking official in the north korean government, you need to go along this super secret highway to location undisclosed. and then poof, these three americans appear. >> yeah. doesn't surprise me at all. having been to north korea, you know, on visits, they don't give a lot of advanced notice. my guess is that this was in the works for a while. they had been thinking about this. and then just waited until the last minute to tell you guys, to it tell cnn. and my guess is they probably also took some time in advance to prep the three for the interview. so i think this -- i think core ographed is precisely the right word and fits the pattern. >> fascinating. hopefully this will be a positive step forward for these americans. jim walsh, thank you so much for coming in on labor day. we appreciate you

it was a trial that took place in pyongyang.w matthew todd miller has been sentenced to six years hard labor. the supreme court in pyongyang effectively says he was found guilty of committing hostile acts when he came into the country itself, so when he came in with that tourist visa and also said that he was under the guise of a tourist. it isn't clear as you say as many things are not with north korea what exactly happened next. according to north korean state media what happened back in april was that matthew todd miller then ripped up his tourist visa as he was entering the country and said he was claiming asylum. cnn got some significant access to miller when they were in pyongyang recently, a rare interview. even then he said he was not there to talk go that. he believed that he was allowed to do this interview with cnn because it was his last chance to try to talk to the u.s. government and try and get them to help him. so certainly it is incredibly unclear what exactly happened and miller himself at that point appeared t

pyongyang's department store no. 1 is stocked with imported products from around the world. but as jiro's footage shows, many of the items are not for sale. >> narrator: the department store is regularly featured on state tv, which tells its people they live in the best country on earth. one of the regime's senior propagandists defected and is now living in the south. >> (translated): as well as a physical dictatorship, they oppress people with an emotional dictatorship. in north korea, they promote the leader to be the sun. if you go too close, you burn. if you go too far, you freeze to death. you think of him as incredibly god-like. we thought he didn't even go to the toilet. >> narrator: north koreans can't escape the omnipresent propaganda. kim jong un's speeches are pumped from speakers on street corners. (speech playing) >> narrator: this one was on a loop for three months, promising his people a bright economic future. (music playing) >> narrator: since the north and the south split in the late 1940s, hatred of america has been central to north korean indoctrination.

here he is, will ripley now from pyongyang, live. and so will, where to begin. i know you and your crew arrived in north korea five days ago. and you get there, describe the place as a time warp. you've been focusing on stories north korea wants you to tell. wrestling events. water parks. and then suddenly you're sitting at lunch with your crew, you get a phone call. take me from there. >> reporter: yeah. we were pulled away from lunch into the hallway and told something had come up and we had an urgent change of plans. we were supposed to go to temple in the afternoon but instead were told to take our gear, get on a van. we had been taking a tour bus, and took a different van and two-hour drive to pyongyang. we thought we were possibly going to speak with a government official. we put in the request to not only talk to a government official but three detained americans. but we were told to speak with the americans was pretty much impossible. that wasn't on our radar. as we approached this hotel, we didn't know really where we were. it was a route that was unfam

cnn's will ripley joins me by phone from pyongyang, north korea. tell us more. >> well, carol, this is really a stunning turn of events here in pyongyang. we have been on a five-day government controlled tour of north korea, here to cover completely separate event and we were in the middle of one of those tours today, when our minders pulled us aside and said there had been an urgent change of plans. before we knew it, we were on a van heading two hours south back to pyongyang to a hotel in the middle of the city where we were told just seconds before we walked into the building that we were speaking for the first time with three detained americans, kenneth bae, matthew miller, and jeffrey fowle. kenneth bae has been convicted of a crime, he was convicted of a christian plot to overthrow the north korean government. jeffrey fowle also convicted of a religion related offense, also accused of a religion related offense, because he goes on trial in about a month. he's accused of leaving his bible in a hotel while he was taking a government rail tour o

officials in pyongyang have informed japan their investigation is still in the initial stage. japan's cheap cabinet secretary suga says pyongyang conveyed the information through diplomatic channels in beijing. >> translator: north korean officials said their special investigation committee is sincerely conducting investigations related to all japanese. they added that the investigations are still in an initial stage and expect they will be completed in about a year. they said they cannot comment beyond the current stage at this point. >> prime minister abe said he regrets that more time is needed for the first report. he said when north korean officials started the probe in july, they setd the first report would be ready by late summer or early autumn. >> translator: it's no use receiving a superficial report that doesn't contain anything substantial. we want a solid credible report after a thorough investigation. >> abe said relatives of abduct ees may suspect that pyongyang is buying time and closely watching the probe's progress while japan maintains its policy of dialogue

will ripley reporting live from pyongyang.erviews with the americans were carefully orchestrated by the north korean government. what is the significance of these interviews? is it perhaps a signal that the north koreans might be ready to talk about their release? we're going to get some insight from a man who has been to north korea and who has met face-to-face with officials there to talk about nuclear weapons and detained missionary kenneth bae revealed details about his health and living conditions. i'm going to speak live with his sister about what seeing him on television today meant to her and her family and what she has learned about his life there. you, my friend are a master of diversification. who would have thought three cheese lasagna would go with chocolate cake and ceviche? the same guy who thought that small caps and bond funds would go with a merging markets. it's a masterpiece. thanks. clearly you are type e. you made it phil. welcome home. now what's our strategy with the fondue? diversifying your portfolio?

we put in a request when we arrived in pyongyang five days ago.dication, the fact that the north korean government has granted these interviews to cnn, making these men available to pass along a message, not only to their families but to the u.s. government. it may be a sign that north korea is hoping -- in fact, it's not a sign. we know from talking to officials in north korea, hoping to open up a line of communication with the united states. they have an important relationship with china that has seen tension as of late. obviously united states sanctions hurt the economy very much. this country is very keen to have a dialogue with the united states. these three men may be an opportunity to bring a diplomat over here for the north korean government and open up a channel of discussion. we'll have to see what unfolds from here. >> we'll have much more on will ripley's exclusive later in the program. >>> now to ukraine where fighting rages on this morning. ukrainian forces pulling back from fighting at the airport in luhansk. two crew members are mi

he's joining me on the phone from pyongyang, north korea. i wonder, how surprised were you to be given this access? >> very surprised, because we put in this request when we arrived five days ago and we were told then any interview with the americans were virtually impossible. we've been essentially going on a government-controlled tour of all of the must-see sites around north korea. that's what often happens with foreign journalists who come here. you see monuments. you see museums. today, we were two hours north of the capital. eating lunch, getting ready to go see a temple in the afternoon, after seeing a display of all the gifts presented to these three leaders in north korea, members of the kim family. in the middle of lunch, i was pulled away from the table and told were to get on a van right away and go back to pyongyang because we were going to speak with a government official. that alone was surprising to us as we drove our minders around the phone, pulled over, stepped away from the van, made more phone calls. we still didn't know

i also covered the philharmonic in 2008 to pyongyang. i went in for harper's magazine. so i went in as a journalist. so i've been looking for a chance to actually really see north korea because it's impossible to see. i have covered the sectors which you can cover from china or south korea. and that is one part of the story, because these are the people who left, not about the people who are live anything there. finally, i found about this school that was being set up by christian missionaries in the suburbs of pyongyang, and i applied for a job there, and i actually got this job in 2011 which happened to be the last six months of kim jung-il's life. >> host: and you got a job doing what? >> guest: teaching english. >> host: how controlled was your life on a daily basis? >> guest: oh, my god, it was -- well, north korea is just, you know, the most controlled state. as a recent u.n. report says, i guess the gravity of the violations is unparalleled to any state in the contemporary world. so from the minute you go in, you will be followed every second. you give up your ph

we are two hours outside pyongyang. i was told i had to leave and drive to pyongyang to meet with a high level government official. we put in several requests, including to speak with the detained prisoners. we were take ton a secret location. we weren't going to speak to a government spishl, but jeffry fowle, and kenneth bae. all three men told us they received humane treatment. miller and fowles. miller is accused of tearing up his tourist fees and seeking asylum. kenneth bae was convicted of what the north koreans claim is a plot to overthrow the regime here. they all have signed statements admitting guilt. it's a desperate situation. here is what kenneth bae told us. >> my health is failing and i have been transferred back from the hospital to the camp. i lost 15 pounds or more. it's been very difficult to stay in camp right now. so, i do ask u.s. government and the people out there to really put an effort to send somebody to make it work. >> reporter: he said he's working eight-hour days at the labor camp. he's the

lunch, i was pulled away from the table and told were to get on a van right away and go back to pyongyang because we were going to speak with a government official. that alone was surprising to us as we drove our minders around the phone, pulled over, stepped away from the van, made more phone calls. we still didn't know really where we were. it was a different route than we'd been taking this entire week we've been here. as we were standing by the front door, we were told there's another change of plans and we've been granted interviews with all three americans being held her right now under the conditions that we not exceed five minutes and we only talk about the charges they're facing, the treatment they're getting and the message for their families and the u.s. government. >> all right, will, and you interviewed all three of these americans. i want to point out a part of your interview with jeffrey fowle. he was accused of leaving a bible in his hotel room. >> i'd like to thank you guys for being here. i appreciate you taking the time to come and see me, getting my message out. >> goo

we just arrived here in beijing from pyongyang. one thing we can talk about more freely now that we are out of north korea is kenneth bae is being held as the sole prisoner in a labor camp. the human rights group thinks there are six large prison camps housing more than 200,000 people. kenneth bae is not held in one of those buildings. does that indicate north korea is trying to show the united states he is being kept in good health, in humane conditions, therefore trying to prepare him for some sort of return to the u.s.? none theless, bay, miller and fowl said their situation is more desperate. >> i'm good for the time being, but i'm getting desperate. i'm getting desperate for help. >> my situation is very urgent. very soon, i'm going to trial. i would be directly sent to prison. i think this is -- this interview is my final chance to push the american government into helping me. >> i am the american that has been here the longest. i believe that sooner this gets resolved would be better for myself and the rest of the other amer

pyongyang is giving us strictly controlled access to bae and two other detained americans.ea is calling it a favor. we get the impression this regime is looking for a line of communication with the u.s. >> i'm the only prisoner in the camp. >> he is housed separately from 200,000 north korean prisoners. they endure horrific conditions at six prison camps. he says his health is failing, but his conditions are humane. as he serves his sentence, jeffrey fowle learns his. >> i'm getting desperate. >> he's already confessed to leaving a bible in north korea. >> it's a violation of the tourist purpose as well. >> that covert act of leaving a bible could cost fowle years of freedom. experts say religion threatens the north korean regime. only the leaders are considered divine. each man is held in a separate room down the same hallway. they never have contact with each other. this man, matthew miller, awaiting trial for tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum. >> during my investigation, i discussed my motive and for the interview it is not necessary. >> now all he wants is

we spoke to reporters in new york, and he says officials from pyongyang are expected to update the status of their investigation into the fates of japanese nationals abducted by the north decades ago and other missing japanese. the talks are to be held in china on september 29th. now, once again japan's foreign minister said japanese officials will meet with north korean counterpart later this month, pyongyang, they are expected to update the status of their investigation in to the fates of japanese nationals abducted by the north decades ago and other japanese. we will be updating you with more details on this story as they come in. thanks for joining us. we'll be back at the top of the hour. x ♪ ♪ >>> a movement against the chinese movement is growing in hong kong. in july, 510,000 people took to the streets, demanding that beijing respect hong kong's free society. hong kong returned to chinese rule in 1997, under the one country two system policy, residents received a high degree of autonomy.

will and his crew were on a government tour about two hours outside of pyongyang.d they had to leave immediately for a meeting with a high-level government official. they boarded a van where they found out the meeting was with the three detained americans. all three seemed to have one consistent message. they are asking the u.s. government to send an envoy to north korea to help negotiate their freedom. >> let's give you a more background on these three men. matthew miller is 24 years old, from bakersfield, california. he is the youngest of four sons and a 2008 graduate of bakersfield high school. >> jeffrey fowle, he's from my am isburg, ohio. he told our will ripley i'm good for the time being. >> kenneth bae is serving a 15-year sns. he's been in custody the longest of the three men. >> your message for the american government, the american government, right now, i've been asking the american government to act to getting release here. i do believe special envoy needs to come to resolve the situation i'm in right now. i do ask the u.s. government to send an envoy

citizens, all the experts agree that what pyongyang wants is a high level u.s.official to travel to the capital and pay lip service and to try to get these men out. we've seen this happen in the president with bill clinton and jimmy carter. it will happen once again? >> well, it seems undecided voters will decide whether scotland splits from the uk. they don't have much time left to make up their minds. the latest poll numbers for you just ahead. ♪ [ male announcer ] over time, you've come to realize... [ starter ] ready! [ starting gun goes off ] [ male announcer ] it's less of a race... yeah! [ male announcer ] and more of a journey. keep going strong. and as you look for a medicare supplement insurance plan... expect the same kind of commitment you demand of yourself. aarp medicare supplement insurance plans insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. >>> a referendum to decide scotland's independence is just days away. two polls have the no vote to stay part of the united kingdom with a slight lead. in another, the yes vote for independence from

the next stop, a park outside pyongyang. scaled down versions of the monuments and architectural things. you can see the real monuments off in a distance. the tower is named for national founder kim ill sun's ideology of self-reliance. if the leader is the brain, citizens are the limbs. you can live without a limb, but not without a brain. >> we choose it as our faith. >> reporter: you choose to be part of the group? studying it is not a choice. one place to do it, the grand people's study house. 30 million volumes here. the few books we see are well worn, the rest locked away. to get to them, you have to ask this woman and they come out a chute. a freshly renovated war museum. above this display, a large, graphic photo of a dead american pilot who crashed in north korea. why show a photo of the dead pilot? >> because they are going to show that anybody who violates our sovereignty will be killed like that. >> reporter: countless millions of dollars show thag north korea is a modern, moral, military force. money not being sp

we were pulled off our regular schedule and brought here to a building in pyongyang where we would told we had precisely five minutes with each of the detainees. they're held in separate rooms and have no contact with each other. american matthew miller admitted to tearing up his visa and seek asylum in north korea. now he wants out. >> what's the bottom line bomb your situation here and your message that you want to put out? >> that my situation is very urgent that will very soon i'm going to trial and i would directly be sent to prison. i think this is -- this interview is my finally chance to to push the american government into helping me. >> jeffrey fowle confessed to leaving' bible behind during a tourist trip, considered a covert act by the north korean government. he was arrested on his daughter's birthday. >> and your message to your family. >> message is i'll come home as soon as i can. my family is the biggest thing on my mind right now. i've got the wife and three school age kids that depend on me for support and my mother-in-law is staying with us, too. there's six in our h

it is believes that pyongyang is using miller and bae as bargaining chips with the u.s. >>> president obama is planning to ramp up the role against the quite of the ebola outbreak. he is expected to announce tomorrow sending more portable hospitals and supplies to south africa and set up training in liberia. the president will urge congress to approve $88 million to fund these proposals. meanwhile, a fourth doctor in sierra leone has died from ebola. attempts to evacuate her to germany for treatment failed. officials in liberia have been fired by the president there for ignoring orders to return to that country from overseas trip. those government ministers got lost. >> at the moment when you need everyone. >>> eight minutes past the hour. european stocks lower. asian shares end the day mixed. stocks closed down friday ending five straight weeks of gains. the big news this morning coming from general motors. ken fineberg will announce how many deaths he has tied to the faulty switches. that number is expected to grow. fineberg's office has received more than 100 death claims. the fami

pyongyang is giving us strict access to kenneth bae. north korea calls it a favor.t the impression sther' looking for a line of communication with the u.s. >> i'm the only prisoner in the camp. >> reporter: bae is held separately from what amnesty international says are 250,000 prisoners. they endure horrific conditions at six prison camps. bae says his health is failing but his treatment is humane. >> i'm working eight hours a day, six days a week. >> reporter: as bae serves his sentence, he's waiting. fowle is awaiting his fate. >> i'm getting desperate. >> reporter: his notes detail the crime. >> it was a violation of the tourist purpose as well. >> reporter: that covert act of leaving a bible could cost fowle years of freedom. experts say religion threatens the north korean regime. only the leaders are considered divine. each man is held in a different room down the same hallway. they never have contact with each other. in this room matthew miller, awaiting trial for tearing up his tourist visa and seeking asylum in north korea. >> reporter: why did you come her

will ripley, cnn, pyongyang. >> and bill richardson joins us on the line from massachusetts. mr.hardson, you're a former ambassador to the u.n., you spent a lot of time in north korea, four days at least back in 2007, trying to negotiate the release of the bodies of american soldiers. you were there just last year with the chairman of google. so you have a lot of experience in dealing with north koreans. the narrative seems to be by parading these americans in front of the camera, the north koreans want to talk. so is it too simplistic to assume that if they see a high level envoy like yourself or bill clinton, that the americans would be released? >> i don't think that's the case. it's much more complicated than that. the reason being that the north koreans are sending a signal that they want to negotiate. that's why they're parading the three americans. but i think what the u.s. wants, and i'm not speaking for the u.s., what the u.s. wants is for north korea to take some steps to denuclearize, not to shoot missiles or nuclear detonations, so it's more complicated than just send

and cnn gained rare access to miller in pyongyang and asked miller if that is in fact the case, and hethat he had dealt with that a previous interview, and he was not there to talk about that. and bear in mind that the north korean officials were ever present in that interview, and he was certainly aware of what he was saying. he said he did believe that the interview was to try to talk to u.s. government and ask for help and he had called and written to the u.s. president barack obama obama, but he had not had a reply, and we don't know if these the were his words or words handed to him by the government there in pyongyang. and another citizen, has also served shy of two years there who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor and he was convicted of hostile acts. and we know that the third person who is accused of leaving a bible in a hotel room is to go on trial. they want a high level official from the united states to pay lip service and try to secure the release of the u.s. citizens. we have seen it work in the past with former presidents bill clinton and jimmy carter to travel an

. >> reporter: our next stop our government wants us to see a park outside of pyongyang, full of scaledes and within sight of the more expensive originals. you can actually see the rile monuments in the distance. the tower is named for the national founder's ideology of self-reliance while putting your country first. it says if the country is the blame s brain, citizens are the limbs. but studying this is not a choice. it's compulsory for everyone. one place to do it, the grand people's study house, supposedly 30 million volumes here. the few books we see are well-worn. the rest, locked away. to get to them, you have to ask this woman, and they come out a chute at the bottom here. another place to learn, the freshly renovated war museum. above this dismay, a large, graphic photo of a dead american pie hot who crashed in north korea. why show the photo of the dead pilot? >> the pilot? because it's to show that anybody who violates sovereignty and intrudes on us to conduct espionage must be killed. >> reporter: we see that north korea is a modern, moral, military force, not money being sp

he stressed the need to send a concerted messages to officials in pyongyang about the issue. and sought support for a new resolution on the north human rights situation. he said leaders from the japan and european union plan to present it to the united nations general assembly. >>> a court in china has sentenced a well-known uyghur academic to life in prison for separatism. chinese police detained him in january at his home in beijing. authorities accused him of harming national security and social stability. they say he collaborated with uyghur separatists outside china and advocated independence for the region. but he denied he was involved in secessionist activities, or organizing a separatist group. the court ordered confiscation of all his possessions. a lawyer said he shouted his objection to the sentence when he was led out of the courtroom. the lawyer says he will appeal. he's a longtime advocate of uyghur rights. but he opposes uyghur independence. the united states and other countries see the case as an attempt by china to stifle dissent. they've asked the chinese g

he's not going to pyongyang. that's good.has a policy called strategic patience, to wait out the north koreans, it's the rite thing to do. you can try behind the scenes to get the guys out. that is not consistent with the policy. >> if we reject kim jong un, and don't send anyone - all three interviews they had, that was what they said, they needed someone from the u.s. to come. they'll use it as an excuse to continue his misbehaviour on the international stage. >> that is why the efforts have been behind the scenes at this point. i don't - you know, i expect these people to be released at some point. it will take a little bit of time. clearly we are not going to give them exactly what they want, either a high-level visit, or a billion dollars or whatever. that will not happen in this administration. >> let's talk about western tourism. why are people going, they know it can happen. it's happened to who nose how many people. if it doesn't happen to them. they are going to a country with the worst human rights abuses. there's

. >>> diplomats from japan and north korea are meeting in china to discuss the progress of pyongyang's investigation into the fate of abducted and missing japanese. chinese city of shemiyan. japanese officials are asking for an update on the north's probe into the fate of japanese nationals in the country, including those abducted. the head of the japanese foreign ministries asian and oceanic affairs bureau is attending the meeting long with north korea's envoy for normalizing relations with japan, song il ho. >> translator: we hold that north korea should comprehensively investigate the fate of all japanese abductees and we think the north should report the results of the probe as soon as possible. we are paying close attention to the progress made by north korea in fulfilling their promise. >> our aim at this time is not necessarily to obtain the results of the investigation but to report on its progress. i hope both sides will be able to explain what actions have been taken and what approach we plan to take from here on in. >> the north promised a report on the whereabouts of the mi

california committed quote, hostile acts, the court claiming he tore up his tourist visa at the pyongyang airport and admitted to having, quote, wild ambition of experiencing prison life as part of a secret investigation. analysts believe north korea is using miller as a bargaining chip in its relations with the u.s. >>> and we are now waiting to hear from hillary clinton who's making her first visit to iowa since he lost the caucuses there during her 2008 presidential bid. she's headlining senator tom harkin's annual steak frying event and her experience is adding fuel to the already substantial buzz about her ambitions for 2016. carl cameron is live there in the middle of all the action. is secretary clinton untying, carl? >> reporter: no, as is typical for presidential candidacies from the clinton family, she's running late. she's on scene here now, and somebody asked the question, are you running? and she just laughed at the question. this is a shot that she made to bill clinton about him not even eating steak. that one got a laugh too and good response. the ready for hillary independ

the foes say he tore up the tourist visa after arriving at the airport in pyongyang and demanded asylum claiming he is a spy and the state department says he is one of three americans being held in the country. >> we have breaking news in the east bay where a big rig accident shut down interstate 880 in san lenadro and we are on the scene with the impact on the early commute. >> the meeting underway right now in europe over a plan against isis. >>> you can see the big rig accident has called 80 to be jam packed. packed. stay they often say, "i wish i had done this sooner." don't put it off any longer. call 1-800-dentist today. ♪ >>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >>> good morning, everyone, on monday morning. busy traffic morning. >>> big problems in the east bay. it is a commute nightmare. 880 is shut down in both directions. there has been a big rig crash. >> amy hollyfield? amy is on the scene. >>> look where we are, southbound 880. it is dramatic aftermath of the accident, a burned out shell of a car. investigators are all over the highway. they are trying

they met the woman in copenhagen, then the agent took her to pyongyang. but uomoto says the charge is false. >> reporter: this footage shows group members are living in comfort with the support of the north korean off. they have a car and a spacious apartment with satellite tv. these luxuries are not a to most north koreans. the japanese authorities are seeking the extradition of the hijackers and their wives. nhk world, tokyo. >>> japan's research whaling is under scrutiny at the international whaling commission's general meeting in slovenia. they discussed the draft resolution submitted by new zealand. it's aimed at delaying the resumption of japan's research whaling. the new zealand delegation called for review of regulations. delegates said the purpose of research whaling should be scrutinized. the international court of justice ordered japan in march to halt its program in the antarctic ocean. the japanese representative said the court ruling only applies to japan's research whaling. he said it does not have the power to change iwc regulations. even

the grammy award-winning rapper had two buckets of ice water dumped on his head in pyongyang. he nominated lauryn hill and three other celebrities to take the challenge. you have been watching this unfold everywhere. more than 3 million people around the world have taken the ice bucket challenge, which has raised more than $100 million for the als foundation. >>> rapper jay-z's made in america music festival is going strong in southern california this weekend. about 50,000 people expected to attend the concert over the weekend. big acts include iggy asal ya and imagine dragons. some city council members worried the crowds could pose a problem for surrounding neighborhoods but then they thought it will be a lot of money to the economy. let's have the concert. we'll be right back. >>> nearly 400 people paid it forward at a florida starbucks. it started 7:00 in the morning on wednesday when a woman at a drive-thru in st. petersburg asked to pay for the drink for the stranger in the car behind her. he did and it kept going for 13 hours. it ended when customer number 379 and you kn

pyongyang news agency says the man was sentenced to six years hard labor. matthew miller was arrested in april. north korea officials say he destroyed his tourist visa after entering the country. >> despite official claims the u.s. citizens arrested there are not used for political purposes. it is clear the dpk case is using the citizens as pawns for political agenda. >> harf said the behavior would not have gotten him arrested in the u.s. or countries around the world. >>> in recent years, tokyo has seen a surge in the construction of high-rises, but the market for new condos is not looking up as ron madison tells us. >> that's right, james. the number of new condos going on the market in tokyo and neighboring prefectures dropped in august for the seventh straight month year on year. researchers at economic institute say 2100 new condos went on sale last month. the number was down 49%. the largest declines since september of 2008. buyers rushed to ak ficquire un before the rush on taxes. that is making developers cautious. the researchers predict the condo

a flight carrying 94 north koreans deported from pyongyang on thursday.he participants include players and coaches of men's and women's soccer teams, the first group of more than 270 north koreans scheduled to take part in the competition. the games will begin on september 19th. members of the a civic group promoting better interkorean times met a group at the airport. they raised a banner claiming we welcome the team. athletes from the north waved back. police are beefing up security as south korean as opposing the athletes might stage protests during the event. they initially planned to send a cheer leading group but dropped the idea saying seoul was against it. >>> an artist has been painting pictures of her devastated hometown for about three years. it lies in fukushima prefecture and was heavily damaged in the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. through her paintings she tells the story of a broken and deserted city returning to life. >> reporter: this solo exhibition is taking place at the fine arts university. the paintings depict roads, some lead to t

i also covered when the new york fill harmonic went in 2008 to pyongyang, and i had been looking for a chance to actually really see north korea abuse it's impossible to see. i have covered the factor crazy you can cover from china or south korea, people fled and that's one part of the story. what about the people that are living there? so finally i found out about this school that was being set up by christian missionaries in the suburb of pyongyang, and i applied for a job there, and i actually got this job for -- in 2011, which happened to be the last six months of kim jung ill's life. >> host: you got a job doing what? >> guest: teaching english. >> host: how controlled was your life on a daily basis. >> guest: oh, my god. well, north korea is just the most controlled state. the recent u.n. report says the -- i guess the gravity of the violations is unparalleled to any state in a contemporary world. from the minute you go in you will be followed every second. give up your phone and parts and all that. >> host: ha to give up your phone. >> guest: you have absolutely nothing on you

cnn interviewed miller and two other americans being held in pyongyang two weeks ago. >>> the death toll flooding in india and pakistan has risen to more than 500 people. indian officials say they fear that figure could get much higher because bodies have been spotted floating near villages that they say have been washed away. for more on this developing situation, dangerous situation, let's go to meteorologist ivan cabrera at the cnn weather center. ivan, how many people are being affected by this flooding? >> millions of people are being affected by the flooding in some way, shape or form here. as far as the ones that are in peril here, that remains to be seen because the problem is that they're not able to get some of the folks out that need to get out. and then, of course, there's a problem in the north. in the north we're still dealing with the waters beginning to recede. but then you have the humanitarian issue of just infectious disease that's going to be a problem with all that standing water. and then you have people that, well, their livelihoods have been wiped out. and so they

all pyongyang will be able to do is provide the results exactly as they are. >> song said it will be up to officials in tokyo whether they're satisfied with the results. they lifted some sanctions in july when the north koreans launched the investigation. he suggested officials hope to see a further of sanctions after they report back on what they have found. >>> a mayor in japan's southern prefecture of okinawa says he'll seek the post of governor in november. mayor onaga opposes a u.s. base relocation within the prefecture. japanese and american government officials agreed in 1996 to move the u.s. marine corps futenma air station to a less populated area. they're planning to build a new facility on the coast of nago. in december, okinawa governor nakaima approved a request from the central government to reclaim land for the relocation. nakaima is calling on the u.s. to stop using futenma within five years. he says he'll run for a third term and recommended by the ruling liberal democratic party. onaga told the city assembly on wednesday that he has decided to run. >> translator: we

the state-run korean central news agency reported that a supreme peoples assembly will convene in pyongyang on september 25th. the agenda of the session has not been released. the last time they convened twice in a year was 2012. at that time, the assembly passed a law extending a free education for children by one year. attention is now focused on what new policies will emerge. north korean leaders want to improve their economy while showing off military power by launching ballistic missiles. >>> when hong kong was handed over to china 17 years ago, leaders in beijing allowed a degree of autonomy, but they didn't want to lose their grip. now chinese lawmakers have placed restrictions on how voters in hong kong choose their leader, and that's deepened the divide between those who support china's influence and those who want to be free of it. nhk world reports. >> reporter: a high-ranking member of china's people's congress arrives in hong kong. he's here to tell hong kong residents how they are to conduct elections. more than 300 pro-democracy activists protest against beijing's decision. t

he was known to have torn up his visa at pyongyang's airport is and demanded asylum. last month he appealed to the u.s. embassy for help. >>> about 200 jews remain in yemen, but they are facing a choice to stay or leave. we have this story from the yemeni capital. >> this man teaches his relatives. they are members of yemen's last jews. they say they lived in yemen for more than 2,000 years, but the numbers have dwindled over the last decade to a few doze ebb. this is the patriarch, the chief rabbi in the northern region of sadder. but in 2006, they were evicted by the shia houthis. his wife says they lost their land and businesses. >> translation: we were very happy in sadder, but now we have lost everything. i'm scared to go back there. the children, go to government schools, they don't feel comfortable revealing their jewishness. the rabbi is confident, yemen is a place for them to live. >> reporter: i want our congreg ace to live with the muslim community, go to the same school, have a social life. i hate to see yemen divided. >> reporter: the jews were moved to a

authorities in pyongyang launched ballistic missiles into the sea of japan in march, june, and july this year. this was another reason why prime minister abe announced a fundamental change to a decades-old policy. his cabinet approved a reinterpretation of the constitution, allowing japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. that means it could defend a closely related country under attack. >> translator: with this decision, japan could strengthen its deterrence and contribute to international peace and stability. and also ensure japan's security. >> reporter: but abe needs to amend more than ten domestic laws to make the change a reality. so he's creating a new cabinet post devoted to that job. 58% of people who responded to nhk's latest survey said the prime minister and his cabinet have not fully explained the issue of the right to collective self-defense. the new ministers will be expected to convince the japanese people their leaders made the right decision and also cope with the rapidly changing security environment. >>> here on "newsline," more international and domes

he is believed to have torn up his passport in pyongyang and appealed for asylum. last month he appealed to america for help. miller is expected to be convicted for propaganda purposes. >> it's not clear what he is charged with. is seems to be the case that he crossed the border and applied for asylum in north korea. whether - was it a joke or if he wanted an asylum, we know not. if you look at - have a look at the past, a number of the educated westerners came to the soviet union asking for asylum. many were arrested and executed. by definition, they were seen as spies. in this case, i would not expect anything that dramatic. most likely north koreans want to remind western tours, whose number increased, that they should behave themselves and should not be eccentric. >> how much is north korea using this case as leverage to try and reopen dialogue with the united states? >> of course they try to use it. he'll be given a lengthy prison system, but not in the normal regular prison, but most likely to a special security for the foreigners, where conditions are relati

wur in pyongyang and interviewed these three americans. what was it like?er: from you know from your time in north korea, things are very unpredictable. that's what happened with us, government controlled tour, much like you took when you traveled there. we were in the middle of lunch when our hand letters pulled aaside and said we needed to leave right now to head toward the capital. as we head toward the van, i pulled out my cell phone camera and this is what happened. an abrupt detour on one minute we're on a sight-seeing tour, the next we're in a van racing through the north korean countryside. government minders are on the phone getting instructions. there's been a change of plans. we're told to expect an interview with a government official. when we pull up to this building, we learn who's really inside. kenneth bae is serving 15 years of hard labor. pyongyang is giving us strictly controlled access to him and two other north koreans. we get the impression this regime is looking for a line of communication with the u.s. >> i'm the only prisoner in the