security council on adopting new sanctions against pyongyang? >> china not only said yes to security council sanctions in 2013, it went farther and imposed its own measures. they included a trade ban on materials for nuclear arms and financial sanctions. but china is north korea's largest trading partner and pyongyang's economic lifeline hinges on beijing's support. experts say chinese leaders are afraid that putting too much pressure on the north could further destabilize the region. >> as a good friend of dprk, china cares more about peace and stability on the korean peninsula, and china will urge whoever party on the korean peninsula to use their rationality to achieve this ultimate goal of denuclearization. so these two things do not conflict with each other. that we need to move toward the situation where china, russia and the united states will stand firm on this particular issue and reach consensus of a view together with the republic of korea and japan, of course, so that we will make the position known to everyone involved on the korean

both chambers have adopted a res lesion condemning pyongyang. they say japan is the only country to have suffered atomic bombings cannot condone these reckless acts. the resolution calls on the abe administration to lead debates at the u.n. security council as a nonpermanent member and to consider tightening sanctions against pyongyang. >>> china's economic and stock market worries are far from over and that's spilling over into others. gene otani is here with the latest. >> thanks, james. >>> share prices in tokyo fell for the fifth day in a row. that's the worst new year's start since the market re-opened after world war ii. our business reporter, mayu yoshida has been tracking the numbers for us from the tokyo stock exchange. >> the market was flooded with sell orders from the begning of the week on concerns over the chinese economy and falling oil prices as tensions rose in the middle east and then came the north korean nuclear test. so it was a really crazy, crazy week. today on friday, we saw a lot of volatility across the region. tokyo's

he's inside pyongyang.l us about the fly over and how it's being receive there d had, will. >> reporter: it was an interesting move on the part of the united states. a lot of experts dispute it was a hydrogen bomb but a troubling situation for the united states. its key ally, south korea, japan, and the whole world. because it's a sign that the regime is actively growing the nuclear arsenal. so after north korea's last nuclear test in 2013, it took a full month before the united states decided to do a similar move where they flew a bomber very close to the demilitarized zone. they did it twice. they flew a b-52 and then they also flew a stealth bomber, a b-2 that dropped eight dummy pounds that weighed about 2,000 pounds each. they were dropped on a target. clearly a show of force. clearly the bombers, and the bomber that flew close to the border today was escorted by south korea fighter jets in addition to american fighter jets as well. now what we have to wait to see is exactly how the regime will respond

in the past new months a top official visited pyongyang. the chinese, evidently made a calculation that being more friendly to the north would improve beijing's leverage and encourage north korea to shy away from further provocative steps. clearly that approach didn't work. so north korea is essentially poking china in the eye, and for the chinese president, it's an insult. china will be upset. at the end of the day when the chinese look at the korean peninsula, what's more worry somethan if north korea has nuclear weapons, is collapse in china. therefore they are not going to take the kinds of step that would inflict a enough pain on north korea to prompt pyongyang to change behavior. at the end of the day, it will be business as usual. >> it makes you wonder if previous sanctions and efforts haven't changed north korea's behavior, what would. mike joining us from hong kong, senior fellow with the u.s. china institute at ucs. thanks for your time. >>> still to come, the u.s. president gets personal. >> every time i think about those kids,

every time, pyongyang has become annoyed by them.know there is a chance there could be repercussions that could be a response back in the summer of last year, there was a violent response when they were broadcasting music and k-pop and news reports and also messages that the regime is lying to the people of north korea. when they did this, north korean soldiers fired upon the loud speakers. this is why we have the increase in security. they are well aware how angry north korea gets from the loud speakers. they are adjusting the stance accordingly. the cyber security increased. south korea has seen north korea attack them online in the past. they really are preparing themselves for any eventually. they say this will be one part of their response to wednesday's north korean nuclear test. alison. >> as things get more and more tense between north and south, how concerned is the south that this tension can certainly escalate into something bigger? >> reporter: well, there is an awareness that could happen. that is why they heightened the

the two countries are far apart from that. >> will ripley in pyongyang with that.incredible story. thank you for that, will. >>> 11 minutes past the hour. china in trouble again. stocks in shanghai dropping 5% overnight. european markets are trading higher. u.s. stock futures are up as well. the dow coming off the worst start to the year ever. looking at the broader market, investors have a hope of a turn around this year. since 1950, when stocks fall during the first five trading days, a 45% chance the market will end the year with a loss. the entire month of january is a more accurate predictor. it predicts the full year 87% of the time. the old wall street saying, as goes january, so goes the year. >> you know, the first five days, the message is don't panic now. wait until january 31st. >>> a new poll shows some potential trouble for democratic candidate hillary clinton. we will discuss live. >>> and surprises and upsets at the golden globes. the night's biggest winners. maybe not him. next. a j cnce? then you might be gearcentric. right now, all hp ink is buy

you've been to pyongyang. how significant a step would this be for knot korea assuming this was true it was actually an h-bomb? >> well, if it were true and preliminary indications are it's not, but if it were true it would suggest they are much further along than anyone thought and that the next step would probably be some miniaturization of a warhead and putting it on top of the -- on top of a missile. i think the problem is sooner or later we are going to face a north korea with a deliverable nuclear weapon. and i think we're going to have a very serious problem. and i'd like to also say even if it's not successful, you know, a lot of tests -- i mean, the purpose of testing is to test. if it's unsuccessful they will have learned a lot. and they'll be back again the next day trying to perfect it. so we have a big problem here. >> precisely. jamie, let's talk about this test. you were just in north korea in october. people are trying to figure out what kim jong-un is thinking. he did not warn anyone about thi

will ripley, cnn, pyongyang, north korea. >> and pyongyang's nuclear claim is straining its ties withn ally. on friday, south korea's foreign ministers spoke with his chinese counterpart reaffirming his opposition to the nuclear test. we have more. >> reporter: with a breathless report, north korea announced what said was its latest nuclear test. once again drew the world's ire. hydrogen bomb or not, the international community is condemning this latest action including china, a spokeswoman denouncing the test at a daily briefing wednesday. yet, china is north korea's only major ally, and it's because of that relationship that many suggest china has more influence than anyone else, including a certain u.s. presidential candidate. >> you know, they say they don't have that much control over north korea. they have total control because without china, they wouldn't be able to eat. so china has to get involved, and china should solve the problem. we should put pressure on china to solve the problem. >> reporter: trump is right when he says that north korea heavily relies on its neighbor.

security council resolutions. >> being warm to pyongyang, cordial doesn't seem to cut any ice with pyongyang and one sees the comments from the japanese in the past hours. they've got traction afresh at the u.n., so they will want their say in what happens now. >> absolutely. the key players on this, though, and if there is new action, are almost certainly going to be the u.s. and china and the last resolution back in 2013 that was part against north korea, that was really negotiated mainly by those two countries, but you're right, other countries will wants to russia, japan, five day day on the u.n. security council, they're a key regional player will want a say on this. the other country worth bringing up is spain because they chaired the sanctions committee, the 17, 18 committee it's referred to. we're telling you that they came up with a report in the last couple of weeks. this is it. the latest report on north korea, and its sanctions regime and said there were no violations at all. i think that shows you the problems ahead, there already is a strict sanctions regime. they're not findin

let's go into north korea right now to pyongyang. that's where we find cnn correspondent will ripley, the only american tv reporter in that country. will, last august when south korea started these cross border broadcasts, north korea fired shots at the speakers for their heightening tensions on the korea peninsula. what's the mood there now? >> reporter: yeah. north korea, this regime of course tightly controls the propaganda message, so they consider these loud speaker broadcasts by the south tantamount to an act of war. it could seriously escalate the situation, an already tense situation here as you know given north korea is celebrating swha it says test so strong it caused an earthquake in neighboring china. unlike previous nuclear tests where china got a heads up, this time they were blindsided just like the rest of the world. and so really it's anyone's guess right now what this regime led by supreme leader kim jong-un will do next. >> will, the u.s. congress is preparing to vote to impose more sanctions on north korea. is the

they have been pretty critical of pyongyang the last couple of years. they adopted a new friendlier tone. the chinese calculation i think was being more accommodating would encourage the north koreans to exercise restraint. now they slapped china in the face. beijing is furious about this. it will probably support some kind of new measures against north korea. but at the end of the day, china's big interest in the korean peninsula is stability. they don't want to see a collapse of the regime, an implosion that would remove them as a buffer against the pro american system in south korea. so the chinese in my view are not going to take the kind of steps that would bring the north koreans to their knees. the kind of steps that would probably be required to force a change in north korean behavior e. at the end of the day, they will probably get away with it. we will probably see the last pattern with the last three tests. >> mike, thanks for that. >>> 19 minutes after the hour. some other news this morning, an emotional farewell. new york giants coach tom c

however, some are concerned that pyongyang appears to be making worrisome progress in its nuclear program, including the possibility of advancements in building a device small enough to deploy on a missile. and north korea has developed a missile capable of reaching as far as the west coast of the u-s. "if you can add a little hydrogen isotope to your basic atomic bomb you can have less material in it, make it smaller and this would help north korea fit it on the warhead of a missile. that's what they're going for. it doesn't look like they got there." president obama spoke with the presidents of south korea and japan today about the nuclear test. the white house says its in the process of coordinating a global response. president's only worry... his domestic programs are also under fire... after more than a dozen attempts.. today the u-s house approved a bill to repeal portions of the affordable care act. the measure was already approved by the senate and now goes to the president's desk... where a veto is expected. the obama administration's decision to reject the keystone oil pipeline

is reacting to pyongyang's latest move. if you had a dollar for every dollar car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching, you'd have like a ton of dollars. but how are they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um..." or "no comment". then there's esurance - born online, raised by technology and majors in efficiency. so whatever they save, you save: hassle, time, paper work, hair tearing out and, yes, especially dollars. that's auto and home insurance for the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. >> welcome back. i'm john vause with barack obama teared up as he dezriebed the bold steps he's taking to stop deadly gun violence. vournded by the families of the victims, the president blasted the lack of progress. now he's taking executive action calling if more extensive background checks, increased mental health treatment and improved gun safety technology. our other major story this hour, north korea said it's carried out a successful test of a hydrogen nuclear bomb. new

emergency meeting of the for an emergency meeting of the japan and south korea expressed doubts over pyongyang's claims. >> adrian brown is our correspondent in beijing. >> reporter: a short time ago the foreign ministry gave a bri briefing to median journalists of the it was trght the reduke urged north korea to cease these actions and return to the six party talks. china is the only friend north korea has. there has been trains in the relationship during the past few years, because of north korea's nuclear programme. china in the past agreed to sanctions against north korea, and if could be in that position again if that's what the united nations decide to do. . >> the president obama spds administration doesn't see bashar al-assad stepping down as president yl 2016. information obtained by the agency says bashar al-assad is unlikely to relinquish his position as president until 2017 >>> harsh winner weather hit syria's latakia refugee camp covering the area with snow. it caused thousands tos seek shelleder. many live in basic accommodation and appealed for help. >> translation: we are refugee

they're in touch with the swedish embassy in pyongyang which looks after interests there trying to secure his release as soon as possible >>> on another north korea issue, south korea saying it's time for nuclear discussions, but those which should exclude north korea. how will that go down? >> reporter: that's right. north korea is coming under as much pressure as they can bring to bear by south korea and its allies, the u.s. moat notably. this latest plan from the south korean president park geun-hye is to have discussions with the five members. it was six party members to destabilize. park geun-hye is saying the other nations china, u.s., japan and south korea and russia should get together to discuss what they can do to bring more pressure on pyongyang. as well as that there is pressure coming from south korea and u.s. on china. they want to see beijing make good on its words on opposition to the program by supporting much tougher sanctions that have been secured before at the united nations security council. a senior u.s. diplomat was here and said if china weren't to do that, then t

security council gearing up for more action against pyongyang. >> this act is profoundly destabilizing for regional security. and seriously undermines international proliferation efforts. >> one more thing, our contact in the region told us, this blast does seem to confirm, that kim jong-un is going the same way, as his father and grandfather, and very few people seem to be willing to stand in that dangerous way. >> greg, thank you. >>> if north korea has h-bomb technology, it presents new and dangerous complications for an obama foreign policy already under siege. correspondent kevin corke has that part of the story tonight from the white house. >> neither convinced nor surprised. that's the white house reaction to north korea's claim it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. >> they apparently are under the misimpression, the wrong impression, that, that there's a path to integrate together international community. that can be pursued by developing nuclear weapons. >> the latest provocation from north korean leader kim jong-un comes as a weary washington and a weary international co

security council to adopt a new resolution incorporating effective sanctions against pyongyang.hida made the comments during phone talks wednesday evening with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov. he said it was a serious security threat that undermines peace and safety in the region as well as the international community. he added it's extremely important for the world to take decisive action. kishida asked russia, a permanent member of the security council, to work closely with other member nations on the new resolution. japan is a nonpermanent member of the council. lavrov said north korea's action violates security council resolutions, and russia is concerned. he said his country is ready to join talks on a new resolution. >>> a south korean court has ordered a university professor to compensate those referred to as comfort women, saying she defamed them. park yu-ha wrote that japan's colonial rule of the korean peninsula is to blame for the issue of the comfort women. but she also wrote the belief in south korea that the japanese military forcibly took 200,000 young wome

really, this is one of the few things pyongyang has to offer. we have to watch this closely to see how this unfolds. >> will ripley in beijing, remember, north korea and south korea had another shouting match. they were feuding, playing speakers over the border. so a tense situation there. now with the introduction programs of a hydrogen bomb test makes the situation more precarious. will ripley in beijing, thank you very much. >> china has a leader, only last year or so what this mean force the relations between those two countries, clearly this is a provocation for china. china has been trying to contain this sort of behavior from its neighbors. so a lot to unfold here on the diplomatic front. why now and what's next this morning? >> there is also breaking news. an object found in the home office of chairman chancellor angela merkel. part of the building has been cordoned off. the object in question was found in the main entrance area. only parts of the building are closed. it is unclear if merkel was inside. >>> a defensive line of new attack

citizen and detained with no trial date or idea if he will go home. >> will ripley in pyongyang. remarkable access. thank you. so interesting. it is rare to be able to be invited to north korea. then all the questioning and second questioning. >> the hydrogen bomb test. all suspicious. >>> tensions rising in germany. hundreds of women claim they were sexually assaulted by men they say were refugees. this issue is getting red hot. we are live next. >>> new this morning, chancellor angela merkel answering pressure after the new year's eve robberies and assaults and the last week isis inspired paris police station attacker. german officials are revealing he had been living in a german refugee shelter. the chancellor is claiming it will be easier to deport those who commit crimes. now this is igniting more strenuous arguments over immigration, atika. >> reporter: absolutely. just piles the pressure on merkel. we are actually in the exact square where the assaults took place. it is between the train station and cathedral. on new year's eve, the square was packed with people, about 1,0

she said tougher sanctions are needed to influence pyongyang to change its stance. she added that china has an important role to play. >> translator: i think someone who joins during severe and tough times is the best partner. i think china as a permanent member of the u.n. security council will play a necessary role. >> officials in north korea announced last wednesday that the country had carried out its fourth successful nuclear test. park took questions from reporters after her speech. she spoke about an agreement reached last month by south korea and japan on the issue of those referred to as comfort women. the two countries said the issue has been resolved finally and irreversibly. >> translator: i want you to acknowledge that we have made every effort to strike an agreement. we did so with our utmost sincerity to reach the best possible solution at the moment. >> park stressed the agreement is appropriate. she said that she felt compelled to obtain an apology from japan and restore the former comfort women's honor while some of them are still alive. earlier w

council has strongly condemned pyongyang. there has been growing scepticism about north korea's claim as our correspondent reports from washington. scientists say the physical evidence doesn't match pyongyang's rhetoric. >> reporter: north korea claims it joined an skwoouf club on wednesday when it tested its first ever thermo nuclear weapon sometimes referred to as a hydrogen bomb. u.s., russia and china have thermo nuclear weapons. >> given the technology, it is only a matter of time if they have developed a workable hydrogen war head before they minituarise it. >> reporter: the physical evidence doesn't support the claims. first, a definition. atomic weapons use a process called fission or atom splitting to create explosive energy. fusion is used to create more explosive energy, a thousand times more powerful than atomic weapons. h bombs require a working nuclear weapon to trigger them. what's more, nuclear experts say a thormal nuclear weapon would be far more powerful than the u.s. atomic bombs dropped previously. at the

. >> in pyongyang people stood to watch what they were told would be an important announcement. on cue they cheered. the country's latest military success. state media showed north korean leader kim jong-un signing off on the order. he's a man who likes attention. particularly close to his birthday which falls on january the 8th. so this may have been his way of celebrating early.

security council has strongly condemned pyongyang and promises new sanctions. tens of thousands of people along syria's borders who have fled the conflict are struggling to feed themselves and stay warm. aid agencies say many are dying from hypothermia caused by the severe cold conditions. german counsel letter says she-- wants to stem the flow of refugees. she defended free moechl of people within the bloc after denmark and sweden imposed new border controls this week. german police are being criticized after the over the handling of assaults against women on new year's eve. initial reports suggest they were carried out by arab and north african men. police have so far identified three possible suspects. about a hundred people protested to counter a small anti migrant demonstration. more women have now come forward they were sexually assaulted and robbed. thousands of cuban migrants stranded in costa rica could sooning continuing their journey to u.s. there is a deal between several american countries. if the transfer is a success, more are expected to follow.

nuclear envoys from south korea, the united states, and japan promising tough sanctions against pyongyang nuclear test last week. the south korean president said she expected china which has publicly opposed pyongyang's nuclear program to act accordingly at the u.n. >> translator: if they do not follow necessary steps, we cannot guarantee true peace and stability of the korean peninsula. >> reporter: the president also said she was considering the need to deploy a u.s. anti-missile system on south korean soil, a move long opposed by china. >> translator: when one country seeks its own security, it must consider the security interests of other countries and regional peace and stability. at present, the situation of the korean peninsula is very sensitive. >> reporter: in pyongyang the fourth nuclear test remains a try temperature, state images showing videos. for all of her talk of a foreign ministerially different response this time, for president park and her fellow leaders that remains the key problem. north korea has repeatedly avowed its intention to pursue nuclear weapons as a matter

>> remember that case where cnn's will ripley was there in pyongyang when as you say, that happened. and we'll have to continue to follow what happens with this particular student, a student from a university in virginia who is being held in north korea. paula hancocks live for us in seoul. thank you for your reporting there. >>> our other top story, the immense snowstorm heading to the u.s. >> it's a big one. >> has already forced airlines to cancel more than 4500 flights on friday and saturday. >> bad news for travelers. it means trying to get from any major city anywhere in the world, you might get stuck. cnn regulation correspondent rene marsh has this story. >> reporter: tonight preparations under way at airports in major cities up and down the east coast. one of the airports in the storm's crosshairs reagan national. just outside washington, d.c. >> i think that it could be, you know, disastrous for a lot of people trying to get out of town. i know if you lack at the lines, i'm not the only one who is trying to get out a little bit early. >> reporter: long lines are forming at

pyongyang says it has conducted a successful nuclear test. that's according to the north korea state news agency which says this was a hydrogen bomb test. i want to go to paula hancocks tonight in seoul. what do you know, paula? >> reporter: the north koreans announced this test took place at 10:00 a.m. local time on wednesday. that is 8:30 p.m. eastern on tuesday in the united states. they say that it was a successful hydrogen bomb test but of course we don't know for sure if that is accurate. the u.s. senior u.s. administration official say it could take several days before they obtain the scientific data to confirm whether it was successful. as far as the north koreans are concerned it was successful and it was to defend themselves against the united states. they have used this as a justification for these tests many times in the past saying they have a legal right to defend their country and that if the u.s. does not violate north korean sovereignty we will not use nuclear weapons. this has been widely condemned already. japan's prime min

our own will ripley is in pyongyang.. >>> plus, what was sean penn thinking when he secretly traveled to mexico to interview the murderous drug kingpin "el chapo" as he was on the run? that's ahead too. >>> welcome back to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. topping our world lead today, the latest bizarre development in north korea. cnn now reporting that a man who claims to be a u.s. citizen is being detained by the rogue kingdom. this man says he was arrested for stealing sensitive military secrets from north korea, adding more twists to the story the u.s. government has yet to confirm whether this man is indeed an american citizen. cnn correspondent will ripley is the only international tv reporter inside north korea. he reported this from pyongyang. >> reporter: days after north korea's nuclear test shocked the world, a new diplomatic bombshell. kim dong chul says he's an american citizen who used to live in fairfax, virginia. north korea called him a spy accused of stealing nuclear and military secrets. pyongyang authorit

friday in pyongyang, north korea. wherever you're watching around the world, thanks very much for joining us. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following several breaking news stories across the globe. including the border tensions escalating on the korean peninsula. the south, about to strike back at the north, for claiming it tested a hydrogen bomb. and two suspected terror attacks. a man with a meat cleaver and an isis flag symbol shot and killed in paris. plus, a truck bomb exploding in libya, killing dozens of young police officers. also in the middle east, the feud between saudi arabia and iran clearly heating up dramatically right now. iran, now claiming its embassy was targeted during saudi-led air strikes in yemen. we're covering all of this as only cnn can with our reporters across the globe from paris to pyongyang and beyond. i want to begin on the korean peninsula right now. where the south is just hours away from retaliating against the north for claiming it tested a hydrogen bomb. the sou

. >> reporter: they n pyongyang for the surprise announcement. the news anchor north korea successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. everyone cheered. a few on cue, were moved to tears. the waiting to invade our ride row jen bomb is the right thing, said this man. in sock, the felt like a 1.5 earthquake. the tremors reached china 60 miles away. japan scrambled jets the air. the u.s. ambassador to japan caroline kennedy called the blast playoffo case. kim jong-un signed the order just a few days before his 33 birthday. north korea set off anomb three times. but was today's blast really something far more powerful and dangerous? it a hydrogen the white house seems to doubt it. >> the initial analysis that has been conducted of the events reported overnight is not nt with north korea claims of a successful hydrogen bomb. >> reporter: but north korea certainly isn't sitting st>> they are trying constantly to build the most modern survivable and lethal nuclear weapons force that they can. device, that is clearly their intention. >> reporter: and it is p

that's going to sting in pyongyang.e has what appears to be physically and publicly at least a very close relationship or a fairly close relationship with president park. the trade between the two is particularly strong. it would appear publicly. it's tough to know what happens behind closed doors. it appears that relationship is strong. we know there have been phone calls between officials in china and in south korea since this nuclear test, and they are considered allies when dealing with this kind of issue from north korea because neither side wants to see a provocation happen on the -- neither side interested for tensions heightened. they will be working together to try and figure out a way to diffuse the situation. but south korea does see the north koreans way to what china does. >> great analysis there. paula hancock in south korea and will ripley in the north. thank you very much for joining us. >>> well, in about an hour a ceremony in paris begins to honor those killed in the shoots at "charlie hebdo." all week

greg palkot has more relations between the koreas continue to deteriorate following pyongyang's nuclear test... on wednesday - the south korean military fired warning shots at a drone from the north that had crossed the d-m-z... the incident comes following the resumption of propaganda broadcasts by south korea - aimed at the north. park says: "the government will continue to make efforts in telling the truth to north korean citizens." but south korea's military said today - the north is countering with a propaganda war of its own: jeon says: "today north korean military leaflets were found in south korea. it was identified that the leaflets were scattered from the north." the increased tensions have lawmakers on capitol hill asking hard questions about america's response to the nuclear test... and how the obama administration can pressure china - north korea's last staunch ally - into helping contain pyongyang's nuclear program. salmon says: "china favors north kollied korea as a neighbor." but at an emergency meeting today between japan, south korea, and the u-s... america's north kor

the security council is vowing to punish pyongyang. >> people around the world are debating why pyongyang chose to carry out that nuclear test if that's what it was. now our brian todd has some possible answers. >> reporter: with an explosion the size of a moderate earthquake, and the uncontainable blglee of a state news anchor, kim jong-un spends intelligence people scrambles. north kraes's nuclear test, whether it's a hydrogen bomb or not is concerning. analysts give an assessment of the danger. >> they're moving closer to a deliverable nuclear warhead that's miniaturized that can hit the west coast. that's where they're moving. and they're doing it with impunity. >> reporter: from seoul to washington, officials are assessing the motives. one possibility, he's signaling his enemies who he sees everywhere. >> he's facing threats from all fronts. domestically, internally, from his elites. and so he has to be able to manage and control all of that internally. but there's always the threat that north korea believes comes from its external environment. >> reporter: external rivals like south

listen to. ♪ this song plays multiple times a day in pyongyang.crifices their leaders have made for them. their leaders are everywhere, including on the front page of the state newspaper, where you see kim jong-un signing the order, authorizing that nuclear test earlier this week that has triggered so much tension on the korean peninsula. and now a response from the south korean government. they are blaring their own propaganda on giant loud speakers across the border between north and south korea, known as the demilitarized zone. those propaganda messages are within earshots of hundreds of thousands of north korean troops. this infuriating for the north korean regime and we don't have an official response of what they might do. over the summer, when they turned on the speakers, they sent troops over the border. we talked to young people about the nuclear test and all of them told us they're very proud of their country and they believe the message that their government is telling them, that these nuclear weapons and missile technology is necessary

will ripley is in pyongyang with this exclusive.t are we learning about this prisoner that north korea says is a u.s. citizen and how hard will it be to confirm his status? >> reporter: the north koreans shortly after we arrived told us that they were holding an american citizen accused of spying. we didn't have any other details until shortly before our interview when we met the 62-year-old man. he showed us his american passport which says he was born in south korea. kim claims dthat he moved to th united states in 80s and became a citizen in 1987. the u.s. state department is not confirming he's a u.s. citizen or talking act his case at all. according to kim himself, he says that he was living in china and crossing into north korea to work in a special economic zone where foreign businesses employ north korean workers. it was through those trips that he said he was collecting intelligence, including nuclear secrets and military secrets, and he was passing them along to conservative elements within the south korean society, both a

it was not very big, and it remains unclear if the test was a hydrogen device as pyongyang claims.t is the difference between a hydrogen and atomic bomb? atomic bombs were first dropped nagasaki in and 1945. it is created by splitting and adam releasing the energy inside. hydrogen bonds use an atomic bomb to force elements together creating a fusion reaction. is thousands blast of times more powerful than an atomic bomb. hydrogen bombs are more difficult to make. >> hydrogen bombs are difficult to build, and it is unlikely north korea has this capability. the important thing for north korea is that it sees nuclear weapon capabilities as a deterrent against attacks from south korea and the u.s. rupert: north korean soldiers may be good at deuce, but a hydrogen bomb with put this impoverished country in a different league. the main beneficiary would be is young dictator, kim jong un. nuclear weapons are about one thing for him. his own survival. wants tos kim jong un tell his domestic constituents he is powerful, strong, and in control of the regime he just took over. he seems to be

the united states, japan, south korea, even pyongyang's long-time ally, china condemned the attack, but the united states, the white house just said that initial reports are not consistent with a successful h bomb test, and the white house says the international community continues to investigate. now, ahead of a u.n. emergency security council meeting on this issue, the secretary general demanded that kim jong-un cease any further activities. this test still marks a dramatic escalation of north korea's capability. moving rapidly ahead, despite international sanctions. the international atomic agency described the test. last september the general warned that north korea was busy building up one of its nuclear facilities, and he joins me exclusively now live from iae head quarters in vienna. welcome to the program. let me get straight to it. do you believe -- do you think it's possible that north korea would have tested the hydrogen bomb? >> the international cbtbo is monitoring a nuclear test. it is collected information on seismic events, and they have detected unusual seismic event. h

. >> reporter: they lined up in pyongyang for the surprise announcement. the news anchor enthusiastically telling them that north korea successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. everyone cheered. a few on cue, were moved to tears. the united states is country so having a hydrogen bomb is the right thing, said this man. in south korea, the blast felt like a 5.1 earthquake. the tremors reached china 60 miles away. japan scrambled jets to test the air. the u.s. ambassador to japan, caroline kennedy, called the blast a provocation. kim jong-un signed the order just a few days before his 33rd birthday. atomic bomb three times before. but was today's blast really something far more powerful and dangerous? it a hydrogen bomb. the white house seems to doubt it. >> the initial analysis that has been conducted of the events reported overnight is not consistent with north korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb. >> reporter: but north korea certainly isn't sitting still. >> they are trying constantly to build the most modern survivable and lethal nuclear weapons fo

some experts expect pyongyang is holding washington will offer concessions to defuse the situation. >> the history of north korea's nuclear tests is typically aligned with the american electoral cycle. towards the end of a presidency, most u.s. presidents are interested in having foreign-policy successes, so it would not be surprising if this was actually quite deliberately timed to get the attention of the obama administration, to get them back to the negotiating table and get some concessions before the obama presidency ends. william: but has north korea overplayed his hand? the white house said the u.s. will not accept north korea as a nuclear state. -- already has all said it will consider pursuing u.n. sanctions against the north. catherine: he went -- that u.n. n.curity council -- the u. security council is prepared to take further measures against north korea. the security council has imposed sanctions in the past, with limited effect. here is our correspondent at the u.n. reporter: sanctions in 2006, 2009, and 2013. what was the point in all of that? it does not seem to have m

there was nop notification coming from pyongyang. that says a lot to me about kim jong un. his father at the very least tried to keep the chinese on its side. >> china can clearly be more annoyed with kim jong un ever since he took power. they have basically frozen out north korea and north korea is returning the favor. clearly now kim jong un is not trying to keep china onboard either. >> so given that, is it possible then in the bigger picture as we move further down the road. the japanese and the south koreans are moving closer to the united states and also possibly pushing the chinese even further away. >> essentially, again, we don't have a whole lot to do to punish north korea. >> why would it be the north koreans know that. so why kwould they say or appear to say yet again that they have done something with they may not have done. >> yeah. i think this test is mostly for domestic politics in north korea. kim jong un is facing a workers policy meeting that hasn't met in 1980. >> no one in north korea is going to notice, right? >> and they're not too interested in figu

in pyongyang, the forth nuclear test remains a triumph. state media quoting kim jong-un saying leaps forward. in all her talk this time for president park and her fellow leaders, that remains the problem. north korea has publicly vowed its intention to pursue nuclear weapons as a matter of national priority >>> the president obama has painted an optimistic future in his latest address. he sought to defend his record on the economy while urging politicians to fight what he called terrorism without discriminating against muslims. >> the president of the united states >> reporter: u.s. president obama is hoping that will be april member of his political party. so he spent much of his speech detailing what he seize as an accomplishment. high higher minimum wage, gun control, immigration reform. he was also highly critical without naming them of presidential candidates like donald trump who suggested a ban on muslims entering the u.s. >> when politician insult muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid

and its ally, south korea but also for the people here in pyongyang.son why a supreme leader kim jong-un conducted this h-bomb test is to project power to his people and also to the workers party that he rules. the inner circle of power in pyongyang that helps him to make loolf decisions although he is the one who has the absolute power. we are awaiting to see, though, if there is stronger rhetoric from from north korea as a result of this. this isn't the first time the u.s. has flown a bomber that was escorted by south korean jets near the border. back in 2013 the united states took about a month but they launched two different missions where they flew, first, a b-52 bomber and then b-2 stealth bombers very close to the border with north korea in the second case with those -- with those stealth bombers they dropped eight dummy bombs about 2,000 pounds each in a target area very near north korea. this is infuriating to north koreian military officers because it brings back memories of the korean war. a clear message from the united states that is sure

you're dealing with a crazy regime in pyongyang. about it, but the best way to deal with north korea is to deal with china. pyongyang respects what beijing says. china isn't going to put up with too many nonsense. when she was secretary of state, and when her husband was president, north korea was doing what it did. north korea did what it wanted to do, regardless of who was in office. you're going to continue to see that. it's an insane group of people running that regime right now. i'd call that a wash. >> it's going to be insane. the next couple of weeks now before the primary and the caucuses, i know it'll be a busy time for you. we always appreciate you time when you come on "impact" and give us your assessment. >> i appreciate coming here. thank you much. >> my measure. mark, thanks again. >>> still to come, our lighter on how to deal with ufos. [ ] jackie: to check out past episodes of "impact," go to our website, nbc6.com, and sea >>> to check"impact," go to our website and search, impact with jackie nespral. you can find th

they are expected to vote in the coming days on imposing heavier sanctions on pyongyang. house majority leader kevin mccarthy and chairman of the house foreign affairs committee ed royce called the obama administration's response weak and inadequate. they say the house will consider stronger legislation against threats to the u.s. the legislation would prohibit north korea from accessing hard currency. it would also allow authorities to seize the u.s. assets of people involved in nuclear proliferation activities. democrat house minority leader nancy pelosi has expressed support for the legislation. she says it has the strong backing of both parties. >>> meanwhile, members of the u.n. security council are negotiating to toughen sanctions. japan is urging leaders in china to engage more actively given their influence over the north korean government. sources say the u.s. government has begun closed door meetings with relevant countries over a draft resolution. officials at japan's foreign ministry say the draft includes tighter restrictions on financial transactions and tra

china, pyongyang's main ally, has been calling for a resumption of six-party talks to include north korea. u.s. oil prices rebounded on thursday gaining more than a dollar a barrel after hitting their lowest price since 2003. still, few traders expect a quick recovery. >> reporter: the calls from nervous investors keep coming >> after 35 years of trading commodities, this man has seen his share of falling oil prices, but this week has been so extreme he ranks it can the gulf war of 1991 and the financial crisis of 2008. >> we had some crazy moves. this is right up there because, in fact, it has been such in one direction. that's the thing that that makes it surprising. it is a market that has gone down with virtually no retracement. >> reporter: this week oil futures dropped to their lowest levels in 13 years amid a global glut of crude. . the price sinking below 27 dollars. down from $100 a year and a half ago. investors are worried that demand is down because the global economy is slowing and there's too much oil in the system. low oil prices have an upside for many companies and consum

. >> enjoys promising tough sanctions against pyongyang for its nuclear bomb test last week.south korea's president made a response to the nation. she said she expected china, which is publicly opposed to it, and expects china to act appropriately at the u.n. >> we will not be able to stop north korea's nuclear tests and we cannot guarantee stability. >> she said they would need to deploy a missile on south korea soil. a move opposed by china. >> it must consider the security interest of other countries and peace and stability. the. >> in pyongyang the fourth nuclear test will continue. >> in further talk of fundamentally different response this time, for president park and her fellow leaders that remains the key problem. north korea has repeatedly avowed its intention to pursue nuclear weapons as a matter of national authority. and attempts to change that from the outside has failed. al jazeera, seoul. >> now we take a trip to motown where the latest in futuristic car designers have motor fans revved up. we have reports from detroit. >> these are the cars you won't be seeing