but unofficially they are confirming it, saying the five defectors who were holed up in the south korean consulate in beijing have now made it to the south. one them is the daughter of a south korean soldier reportedly who was captured during the korean war 60 years ago. she is among them with her two children. one report this morning says it believes there are another five defectors who have always been allowed to be make their way here from another south korean embassy in china. the really question is whether this is a one-off by china, a gesture of friendship to south korea, or a gesture of warning towards north korea if it indeed is a policy change. it a gesture, or does it mark a change in policy on china's behalf? if it does mark a change in policy, that would be a big deal for the relations between china and north korea. >> lucy in seoul. eight years ago greece was at the center of sporting excellent. that seems a long time ago now. >> it does because the greek athletic federation has suspended all domestic sporting activities saying there is is no money to pay coaching or staff.

south korean defense officials say that the launch occurred at 7:39 a.m. at a news conference in tokyo, the defense minister of japan says indicated that the north korean launch may have failed. >> at a separate news conference, government officials told reporters that the projectile was headed south. they added that it may have separated into several pieces. meanwhile, the japanese government officials told nhk the u.s. army detected a heat signature around the launch pad in north korea. but they have not found any evidence of a flight route. the officials say north korea may have failed to launch the missile or the heat reaction may have been misdetected. abc news in the u.s. quoted government officials who said 90 seconds after launch, the rocket exploded and fell into the ocean. >>> this is not the first time the north koreans have attempted something like this. as we've been reporting, they've launched several missiles in the past and have faced much criticism from the west along the way. >> reporter: north korea tested its first midrange ballistic mis

when he got to south korean he said they were executed, and he thought if he told the story the south korean government might arrest him. good certainly people might think of him as not human, and he finally about a year into our interviews decided he would tell the truth, and he said he felt an obligation to tell the truth. >> when you see this photo, what do you see in the face? >> what is interesting is that he looks so young given his life. he has aged a little bit. this was taken when he was 28 or 27, but when i met him, i swear he looked like a teenager, and he has a youthful look. >> how has he changed? privacy has become less wary -- >> he has become less wary. yesterday we were talking at the human rights convention, and he talked about selling out his mother and why he did it and what he hopes will come out of the truth he told. he wants people to know this is the type of human being they are trying to raise in these camps. there is the abuse of starving people and sent shooting them but also raising them to be monsters. good >> did you ever see him get mad at you? >> he got

how do you think the south koreans will react? >> i think north korea's provocation will have a very damages south korea's effort to make a breakthrough in inter-korean relations after the death of kim jong-il. actually, south korean government has been discussing the necessity to have a better policy towards north korea, but north korea really, the behavior is very disappointing and it is impossible to ignore the bad behavior. so, i think the south korean government will probably uphold the current economic sanction and take the case to the u.n. security council. >> i see. well, thank you very much, mr. choi. >>> u.s. leaders are using strong words to condemn north korea for going ahead with the launch. they say it violated international law and u.n. security council resolutions. white house spokespersons released a statement calling the failed launch a provocative action that threatened regional security. they say north korean authorities went back on a commitment they made to get u.s. food aid in exchange for halting nuclear and

how do you think the south koreans will react? >> i think north korea's provocation will have a very damages south korea's effort to make a breakthrough in inter-korean relations after the death of kim jong-il. actually, south korean government has been discussing the necessity to have a better policy towards north korea, but north korea really, the behavior is very disappointing and it is impossible to ignore the bad behavior. so, i think the south korean government will probably uphold the current economic sanction and take the case to the u.n. security council. >> i see. well, thank you very much, mr. choi. >>> u.s. leaders are using strong words to condemn north korea for going ahead with the launch. they say it violated international law and u.n. resolutions. white house spokespersons released a statement calling the failed launch a provocative action that threatened regional security. they say north korean authorities went back on a commitment they made to get u.s. food aid in exchange for halting nuclear and missile tests. t

this is very important to the south koreans and also, of course, to the u.s., which is stationed here in south korea. they want to find out exactly what the makeup of this rocket was and any kind of indication they can have about this rocket from that debris. now, it's not an easy thing to do to find this kind of debris in such a vast amount of water. much of it could have broken up on the way down. but what we know at this point is they have two military vessels that are parading those waters at this point, trying to find any indication of that debris. we also know that this rocket, according to ytn, did go over one of the south korean islands, the furthest north, closest to north korea, and they had an evacuation plan in place. they said as soon as they knew that the rocket was -- had been launched, they were going to put people into shelters to try an make sure that they weren't going to be injured in any way by any of the debris. of course this is very close to the rocket -- to the island that was actually shelled by north korea just a year and a half ago. so those islands that th

government and the normal roc people, and they welcome our presence there. >> also, last week the south korean president announced that he sought south korea would soon each an agreement with the united states extending the missile range which is currently limited to 300 kilometers. can you tell us what your assessment is about south korea's missile requirements and do you -- is south korea's military leaders view the need for such an agreement as urgent and what's your take on that? >> congressman, i'll defer to dr. lavoy, but they have expressed desires to have a longer range missile. >> doctor, what's your thoughts? >> thank you. i would be happy to add to that. we and the south koreans have had very good discussions about dealing with north korea's growing missile inventory and the threat that that poses, and we have a process that we have in place. there have been numerous meetings. we've identified a comprehensive array of measures to take to deal with this, this threat, and i think this is an area where we really are in sync with the south koreans, and this process is not concluded, how

the chinese government allows several north korean defectors to restart their lives in south korea. you're watching "newsline." i'm yuko aotani. north koreans put their lives on the line when they try to flee their country and its oppressive prere jeem. some head to china hoping to go from there to south korea. five people from the north have managed to do just that. they spent nearly three years in diplomatic limbo at a south korean facility in china. south korean government officials say the group entered via third country earlier this week. the officials say one of the asylum seekers is the daughter of a south korean soldier taken prisoner during the korean war. the others include her two children. the defectors sought asylum theatsouth korean embassay in my 2009, but the north had refused to let them leave. the decision to release them was likely spurred by mounting protests in south korea against china's policy of sending north korean defectors back. the south korean government raised the issue with china at a recent summit meeting as well as through diplomatic channels. but sou

north korea criticized a south korean group last week for destroys a photo of kim jong-un. the country's leaders staged a rally. south korea's defense ministry said there was no evidence of unusual military action in north korea. the south korean government has expressed concern but maintains the north is trying to divert attention from the country's failed missile launch. nhk's correspondent in beijing says north korea's leadership is attempting to consolidate support for kim jong-un. the correspondent also says the north wants to boost national unity ahead of wednesday's 80th anniversary of the korean people's army. >>> u.s. state department spokesperson victoria nuland criticized north korea for making the threats. >> the dprk needs to understand it's not going to achieve anything but further isolation and pressure by threats, by launches, by any of this. we called on the new north korean leadership to change course, instead put their effort into moving their country into the modern world, into the 21st century. >> nuland said north korean leaders are putting their energy

south korean authorities have a warning for their neighbor to the north, don't do it. they're again urging the regime of kim jong-un to refrain from carrying out another nuclear test. they say the result will only hurt north korea's international standing. >> translator: the north has made significant preparations to conduct the test. all that remains now is its political decision. >> south korean intelligence authorities confirm this month that workers in the north have been digging a new tunnel. in the region of pyooongkye-ri. they believe that will be a test site. a senior government official says north korean leaders will further isolate their country if they carry out another nuclear test. the official points out it will also make it harder for them to develop their failed economy. the north korean government made a rare public admission recently. state media reported an attempt to launch a satellite into space failed. many nations consider it a long range missile test. still, south korean officials say this admission could signify a change of political style unde

more japanese and south korean automakers are positioning the country as their new production platformncreasing exports of cars made there. >> translator: we succeeded in remodeling india targeted cars for south africa. i look forward to seeing more moves of this kind. >>> average gasoline prices at the pump in japan rose for the seventh straight week. global crude prices remain high as tension over iran grows. the agency says that as of monday, the retail price of regular gasoline averaged 158.3 yen. that's about $1.90. it's up 1 cents from last week. by region, prices for tokyo and six other prefectures turned lower compared to the previous week. the institute said the increase in the national average was smaller because there hasn't been any surge in crude oil prices recently. >>> nissan unveiled a yellow cab for new york. replacement will start in the fall of next year. the new model unveiled on tuesday was developed jointly with the city. it's based on the nissan nv-200 minivan which can carry up to four passengers. the cab is equipped with air bags for passengers, sliding doors w

korean president. when south salaam was named the newest state -- the picture is less rosey. cross-border skirmishes in sudan have continued, and this may lead to a return of the decades-old civil war. we have this report. >> this is the fight they've come to dread. soldiers nad some civilians shot back but where powerless against the modern warplane. two places were hit. the primary target is this bridge. several other failed attempts to destroy it. this time the rockets missed. several shops were destroyed and one man was killed. three others were critically wounded, not expected to survive. 75 have been killed in air raids since the beginning of march. >> when our forces were drawn, an airplane bombed us. and it killed three people and burned four shops and now we suffer a lot. >> the bombing is condemned by the peacekeeping mission. there is no immediate reaction from the sudanese military. the south sudanese army says their decision to withdraw from the oil fields has not ended the fighting. >> the goverment

the north koreans in their mind are still fighting it the combatants are the united nations, south korea, north korea, and china. and although there has been an armistice. this armistice has been broken many times. so we have seen acts of provocation from the north koreans, especially in 2010 when they killed 50 south koreans in two horrific incidents. we can expect more of this to occur, especially if kim jong un the new leader needs successes to brag about. obviously this missile launch, although they will brag about it to the people, he will not be able to brag about it with his own regime. that's what counts. >> shepard: our reporting at the time of that last nuclear detective ton nation about which you were just speaking, our reporting at the time was that in advance it had been planned. we'll launch the rocket. we'll tell our people everything went fine. the rest of the world will report that it didn't. we'll do a nuclear detective ton nation. is it your sense that this nuclear detective ton nation has already been planned? do you have a sense for how soon such a thing might happen

obviously, a sigh of relief among south koreans there. what kind of message do you think the north is trying to send? >> i think it is trying to send a message to the international community that it is very serious about being taken seriously. respect is something north korean regime has wanted throughout its entire career, its entire existence. the fact that this missile launch has failed is a deep embarrassment to the north korean regime and its young leader. and how they might react, they may act very aggressively to try to counteract this embarrassment, that will be the issue next. >> and what do you think this failed launch will mean? how is north korea likely to react? >> i think we saw from last year with the attack on the warship and also with the attack on the island and that we have entered into a very new era of the uncertainty and increasingly aggressive and hawkish tactics by north korea. and with the failing of this launch, that will only increase as north korea decides to ascertain its position in north east asia. >> obviou

a south korean island. his son, kim young un, seems to showing the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and applying a third nuclear test. the u.n. council issued a statement condemning the april 13th missile launch as a serious violation of security resolutions 17, 18, and 1874. no real consequences for north korea's flagrant violation and action that threaten global peace and security. while the missiles blew up short of leaving the launchpad as all of us know, measure intent is just as important as measuring culpability. north korea's rhetoric should have told the negotiations all they need to know. the north korea's policy of starving the people and feed the army remains. the south korean defense industry estimated this month, north koreans spent $850 million on the failed missile launch, enough to buy corn to feed the entire population for an entire year. politics in north korea remains all about the kim dynasty and its needs, not about either the concerns of the united states or the welfare of the kor

south china sea. political analysts say they expect the enemy's leaders will redouble their protests against chinese intentions to control the waters. >>> north korean military officials unleashed more verbal attacks against their neighbors in south korea. and they're promising they'll soon back up their words with so-called special actions, something they say will be more severe than their deadly shelling of a south korean island back in 2010. they say the actions will be in response to what they call insults of their country's new leaders. they criticized president lee myung-bak and some south korean media for showing disrespect. the north's committee for the peaceful reunification of the father land posted comments on its website thursday. the body serves as a liaison with the south. committee says the revolutionary armed forces never uttered abt words. it warns south korean authorities are mistaken if they think the retaliation will be on the same level as the artillery attack on yeonpyeong island. north korean forces fired dozens of shells at residential areas on yeonpyeong in 2010. the attack killed four people and injured 18 others. some anal

an unprecedented act against the south korean government. and how do you put snoring to bed? we test the top 10 home remedies to see if they really work. >> hello and welcome. the french socialist leader, francois hollande, is in the lead for the presidential race after narrowing beating nicolas sarkozy in the first-round vote. let's go live to paris. >> well, it was a night of drama, and the french are waking up this morning to a very new political landscape, and the gloves are off between nicolas sarkozy, the current french president, and francois hollande, his socialist rival. the two men in two weeks going through to that decisive second round of the presidential election. with the votes now pretty much all counted, this is where the top candidates stand. in first place, the socialist fran choice hollande with 28.6% of the vote. nicolas sarkozy has 27.1%. the far right leader on a record 18%. the far left on 11.1%. now, these are the numbers from the interior ministry, so we can pretty much rely on those. now, the two candidates have to garner the support of voters for th

the concerns that the south koreans relay to me is obviously they're very concerned about the continued willingness on part of the north koreans to continue to test ballistic missiles, and pursuance of nuclear capability. that causes great angst and concern, and i think right now that's probably one of the biggest things. obviously they have not forgotten the sinking of the chonan that occurred in march of 2010 and the shelling of the wipodo island that occurred in november of '10. they're very watchful of that and mindful of it. they have put a lot of emphasis on their military for overall readiness, i will tell you that. >> and in terms of the progress that had been made prior to the demise of kim jong-il, are there any indications that those kinds of efforts or talks are taking place in lieu of the concerns that you just expressed of the sinking and the shelling of the by the north koreans? is there any prospect that those talks of economic opportunities being sought out by south koreans at this point? >> congressman, i have not seen any great change as a result of the succession wit

now south korean news agency reports the north is preparing a new on the ground nuclear test and will allegedly follow the long range missile tests planned for later this week and in a rare move foreign reporters were allowed to see first hand a fully prepared rocket at the launch site the north same is to put a communications satellite into orbit but the u.s. and south korea say it might be a covert ballistic missile test and japan is prepared to shoot the rocket down if it goes over its territory for analysis let's join now dr tim beale researcher and specialist from new zealand tim thanks very much for being here with us in the program now that the news report about a possible nuclear test comes from a south korean news agency siding and named intelligence official how credible do you think is that. well we know it's it's an election ploy it's what the south koreans or north wind where they you say and instance involving the north to consolidate some incumbents in the south next in general election in south korea on wednesday so it's clearly aimed at that we know i mean we can gues

we have been following events and the south korean capital. >> south korean government is saying they believe this launched has failed. they say they failed to track it beyond the first minute or two of the flight. they believed it fell into the sea. it broke up and fell back to earth. there has been some suggestion that the first stage of the rocket failed to separate and that may be what caused it to fail. these are very early days. people around the world are assessing all of the information and trying to work out exactly what happened. >> said the fact that it appears to have failed, the think that this might lead to heightened tension in the region? >> i think the planned rocket launch was going to heighten tensions anyway. if north korea went ahead with this launch, it would cause problems because of the way that would be perceived in terms of north korea's relationship to the international community. it would cause tension because the flight path went very close to a number of different countries. china, south korea, taiwan, japan, the philippines. the fact that north korea lau

the military criticized a south korean proof for destroying a photo of kim jung un. they protested against their counterparts in seoul. the defense ministry analysts said there is no evidence of unusual action in the north. still a government leader is concerned. they maintain officials in the north are trying to divert attention from the failed missile launch. u.s. state department spokesperson has criticized the for making the threats. >> the dprk needs to understand it is not going to achieve anything but further isolation and pressure by threats and launches and by any of this. and we call on the new north korean leadership to change course and instead put their effort into moving their country into the modern world and the 21st century. >> they said north korean leaders are in the wrong and they were called to give people the right to live in dignity. chinese leaders remain committed to their allies despite regional tensions. they called on leaders to exercise restraint amid fears they are planning a nuclear test. china's central television reported that they me

the statement carried by the state television channel said the north would destroy south korean targets in minutes. it also showed north korean soldiers shouting the word "kill." --ongyang says lucy william since says the latest rhetoric shows -- >> the latest warning says that north korea's special operations unit will launch an unprecedented action against the south, reducing its target to ashes in three to four minutes. it has already named the south korean president, the defense minister, and the country's conservative broadcasters, which the north accuses of obstructing fair minded opinions. the statement does not say what the action might entail. the rhetoric has been getting sharper this month after it was widely criticized for breaking a u.n. ban on ballistic missile launches an inquest has opened in london over the death of a british code-breaker, whose body was found locked inside a sports bag. the family says they do not exhibit the claim by british authorities that his death was unconnected to his work. aid agencies say they are struggling to raise enough money to tackle the

shelling a south korean island. his son, kim jong-un, seems intent on fulfilling the adage the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. he has already tried a failed missile launch and may be plotting yet a third nuclear test. the u.n. security council issued a presidential statement condemning the april 13th missile launch as a serious violation of security council resolutions 1718 and 1874. no real consequences for north korea's flagrant violation and action that threaten global peace and security. while the missiles blew up -- while the missle blew up soon after leaving the launch pad it is said in international relations, measuring intent is just as important as measuring capability. north korea's rhetoric should have told our negotiators all they needed to know. the military first policy of starving the people to feed the army and supply the munition industry remains. the south korean defense ministry estimated this month that the north koreans spent $850 million on the failed missile launch. enough to buy corn to

more japanese and south korean automakers with plants in india are positioning the country as their new production platform and increasing exports of cars made there. >> translator: we succeeded in remodeling india-targeted cars for south africa. i look forward to seeing more moves of this kind. >>> chinese researchers in northeastern china have unearthed fossils of an unknown species of large feathered dinosaur. the new discovery could provide clues to studying the evolution of the animals. the researchers say the fossils found in the province of lianing have been identified as a nine-meter long dinosaur species. these resemble the primitive feathers found on smaller dinosaur species. experts say it has been widely believed that large dinosaurs were featherless since they had difficulty controlling their body temperature. the discovery will be published on thursday in the british journal nature. >>> it's a beautiful sunny day in tokyo. sayaka mori joins us with the world weather forecast. >> we are experiencing crystal blue skies in tokyo and very warm temperature as well. but there is

. >>> south korean authorities have a warning for their ighb to the noh, d't d it. they're again urging the regime of kim jong-un to refrain from carrying out another nuclear test. they say the result will only hurt north korea's international standing. >> translator: the north has made significant preparations to conduct the test. all that remains now is its political decision. >> south korean intelligence authorities confirmed this month that workers in the north have been digging a new tunnel in the region of punggye-ri. they believe that will be a test site. a senior government official says north korean leaders will further isolate their country if they carry out another nuclear test. the official points out it will also make it harder for them to develop their failed economy. the north korean government made a rare public admission recently. state media reported an attempt to launch a satellite into space failed. many nations considered it a long-range missile test. still, south korean officials say this admission could signal a change in political style under

we do need our south korean ally. there's an election coming up this december in south korea. >> i want to flag the fact the north korean human rights act has been a major contribution from the u.s. congress. the strong support for funding for information flows, you know, targeted at north korea. we still need to work very hard on highlighting china's really terrible policy of repatriation of north korean refugees. i know you've been doing a lot of work to try to highlight that. >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much. and although we would normally conclude at this time, mr. connolly has an issue so press, so urgent that i told him that he could have a few minutes to ask it and bring it up so as not to cause extreme stress, acid reflux, coronary disease and any other medical complications that could ensue. so mr. connolly is recognized. >> why do i have the feeling this is going to cost me a lot of chocolate? i wanted to give the panel the opportunity to answer that question i put out there earlier. it seems t

. >>> south korean authorities have a warning for their

it's what the south koreans when we're going to you an instant's involving north to consolidate some. action general election and south korea on wednesday so it's clearly aimed at that i think that is true for sanctions on north korea after the satellite test and this is satellite of them as are those we've seen are sanctions then one would guess the next track will be another nuclear test we have to remember the whole point about north korean strategy is to force him into and peaceful coexistence so these nuclear tests rule part of that. so they're not something that is done lightly they are in response to you know set of negotiations so. i don't think we're going to be particular reason to think that the test will come about this time and that doesn't make sense given simple answer is that with the submarine government trying to. take a look at some other stories from around the world for a vice president of egypt ousted leader hosni mubarak has joined the race for the country's presidency amar so a lot is among twenty hopefuls have now handed over applications with the four approve

it's what the south koreans when we're going to you a and instance and molding north to consolidate some around some without action general election and south korea on wednesday so it's clearly aimed at that i think that you know the sanctions on north korea are to the satellite test and this satellite you know sort of missed on tears if there are sanctions then one would guess the next track would be another nuclear test we have to remember the whole point about north korean trashiest officials consent to it peaceful coexistence so these nuclear tests are all part of that. so they're not something that is done lightly they are in response to you know set of certain negotiations so i don't think there's going to be particular reason to think of the transfer of come about this time that doesn't make sense every single reason with some green government trying to to garner votes for its. now seek look at some other stories from around the world for a vice president of egypt ousted leader hosni mubarak has joined the race for the country's presidency amar so a mob is among twenty hopefuls ha

it's what the south koreans call northwind where they use a an instance involving the north to consolidate votes around dropping candidates in the south lection general election in south korea on wednesday so it's clearly aimed at that i think that is true for the sanctions on north korea after the satellite test and this satellite that's what a missile test if sanctions then one would guess that lex pay for the down the track will be another nuclear test we have to remember that the whole point about north korean strategy is to force him into into into peaceful coexistence so these nuclear tests are all part of that. not something that is done lightly they are in response to going to set of testing negotiations so. i don't think there's any particular reason to think it's a test to come but at this time not and that doesn't make sense and in simple answer isn't resistance they are suffering government trying to put down the stretch of. and we're starting with egypt let's get to the r.t. world docket some other international news in brief for you with the former vice president of egypt tha

there is a big shift afoot inside south korean politics. >> lucy williamson in south. north korea's new leader has been named to fill two key political posts held by his late father. mr. kim was made chairman of the central military commission and a standing member of the political bureau. the nation is also preparing to launch a rocket to mark the occasion, but washington says the event is a cover for a test of missile technology. greece's future in the eurozone, of course, still remains very uncertain, but in one town at least, the euro is no longer being seen as the only currency of the future. traders have set up an alternative local system, which works through bartering and exchanging goods and services. our greece correspondent, mark lowen, went to see the idea in action. >> wander down to this mart, there's one thing you won't need in your pocket -- money. from crafts to food, everything here is for sale through tem, a new alternative currency. locals build up credit by offering goods or services. the value is recorded in a central computer network, allowing the

korean war in the 50's. what was this war about? what was south korea compared to north korea. >> they were poor and recovering from the ravages of world war 2. that war -- the united states divided the penninsula in the wake of world war 2. the south was a military dictatorship aligned with the united states. the north was aligned with russia. kim il-sung emerged in north korea. he, over several years, he modeled his state after stalin's state. in 1951. it made some real progress. there was a counterattack. the united nation sources. and the same line was returned. north korea remained aligned with russia. it became increasingly isolated and cruel as time went by. kim ill-sung had a grassroots support. when he died in 1984, people wept. his son, the first hereditary dictator in a communist state, kim jong-il, was less popular. but he was shrewd and cruel. the camps became increasingly important. the population grew. there are indications with this third kim family leader, jim jong-un, who is 28, 29 years old, and is about the same age as the hero

out south korean news agency reports the north is preparing and new underground nuclear test or allegedly follow the long range missile task planned for later this week and a rare move for reporters were allowed to see first hand fully prepared brought it at the launch site the north same has to put a communications satellite into orbit but the u.s. and south korea say it might be a covert ballistic missile test and japan is prepared to shoot the rocket down if it goes over its territory but the hyped up reports of alleged weapons test are part of south korea's internal politics that's the view of dr tim dealer researcher and asia specialist from new zealand. it's what the south koreans hold north when and where they you are a nuisance and molding north to consolidate and surround them with our election general election and so on wednesday so it's clearly aimed at that i think that if the sanctions on north korea after the satellite test and this satellite as one of them is are if there are sanctions then one would guess the next track will be another nuclear test we have to remember that

morning, the north korean military says they will want special action meant to what about the south koreannment. it was announced on state media to date. according to the statement the actions will last four minutes and reduce their administration to ashes. the threat follows u.s. condemnation of the north korean launch of a long- range rocket that exploded shortly after liftoff of april 13th. fact >>darya: one person was hurt in a massive explosion that rocked a mcdonald's. happened when the truck was carrying 24 paintings can the tanks could not handle the heat off. pressure builds up fee and kids started to leak. that is when static electricity sparked propene and a fireball shot out. >> i thought it was a bomb or something, heaven forbid. it was bad. the flames were shooting up. >> the flames were so big we thought mcdonald's was going to catch on fire. >>darya: the fire burned the driver of the truck. several others including children escaped without injury. >>mark: will be right back as the kron4 news continues in just two minutes. fog is sit around the bay area this morning. we are

south korea. >>> rachel joins us from the weather desk. >> yes. the weather will be a critical factor with an event like this. we do have precipitation moving across the korean peninsula and stly confined to south korea rather than north korea. north korea is staying mostly dry. you were talking earlier about the 5-day window starting today. thursday, friday, right through sunday, conditions look pretty good. monday will bring gusty winds and light precipitation. generally, the weather doesn't look like it's particularly problematic. back to you. >> thanks very much. we'll keep checking back with you for the latest conditions there. south korean and japanese personnel are preparing to intercept anything that enters their airspace. they say they've dealt with such provocations before. >> reporter: north korea tested its first missile in 1933. it had a length of 101 kilometer, making it capable of reaching any part of japan or its territories. the first launch of a long range missile took place in 1998. that missile flew over japan before falling into the pacific ocean. in july, 2006, north korea carried out a series of tests over the sea of japan, firing seve

now, south koreans must be worried. i do not -- >> i cannot think it was seen as a peaceful called celebration. but, you are right, in terms that they were very calm in south korea. partly because they have seen it before. it has conducted nuclear tests in the past. there is concern here about the third nuclear test. it may well turn out, if it happens, a new kind of nuclear tests. perhaps a uranium based test. nothing is really known at this stage. it is as rumor mills coming out of the south korean agency. it is not confirmed at all. at the moment, is is really a case of north korea saying is is now free to take whatever action it feels necessary. >> nato is meeting in brussels later. the security will be handed over to afghan forces with senior officials stressing that afghan officials are able to cope. the need to keep funding afghan forces after its withdrawal. you are watching bbc world news. still to come, 100 days until the olympic games. withdraw its forces from the region after today's heavy fighting. >> in a d

. >>> south korean government officials say eight north koreans who escaped a work site in russia are starting new lives. the refugees arrived this month in south korea. 32 others are expected to follow. the officials say authorities in north korea sent the group to the rirn region of siberia. they confirmed the north koreans fled and gained refugee status from a u.n. agency. human rights activists in south korea have been hold i rallies urging chinese leaders not to send people who leave the north back. the activists say they'll keep watching the chinese and russian governments and pressure them to act humanely on this issue. >>> tokyo police have begun investigating alleged losses of over $1.2 billion by aij investment advisers. they're interviewing clients of the pension fund's aij managed. police started the probe on tuesday to find out what the firm said to win contracts. investigators suspect aij committed fraud by falsifying investment statements and hiding losses while soliciting new clients. they also expect violations in the exchange law. the president gave sworn testimony b

the south korean government has taken steps to reinforce safety measures. aircraft and ships have been urged to avoid the area from thursday to monday where debris from the rocket is expected to fall. town officials used loud speakers on wednesday to warn residents not to take their ships out to sea for the time being. this area is a tourist spot well known for seafood, particularly a kind of small octopus popular with visitors and currently in season. naturally restaurant owner and fishermen are concerned that their businesses might be hurt by any provocative action from north korea. back to you. >> thank you, anna. that was anna jung in south korea. one of the factors in deciding whether to launch is the weather. rachel ferguson joins us now from the weather desk. >> hi there. yes, the weather will be a critical factor with an event like this. conditions look very favorable. we have precipitation across the korean peninsula but mostly confined to south korea rather than north korea. north korea staying mostly dry. you were talking earlier about the five-d

people's army released a statement last week criticizing a south korean conservative group for destroying a photo of kim jong un. the north staged a massive rally against lee's administration in pyongyang. the south korean government expressed concern but main maintains the north is fueling tension to divert attention from the country's recent failed missile launch. >>> analysts say north korea's leadership is attempting to consolidate support for kim jong un. they also say the north hopes to boost national unity ahead of the 88th anniversary of the korean people's army on wednesday. >>> a japanese minister is trying to resolve an issue that caused anger and frustration in his country for decades. north korean agents kidnapped citizens from japan in the 1970s and '80s to learn about their language and culture. some of the kidnapped have been returned. some remain missing. details are sketchy. jin matsubara is now the minister in charge of this file. he spoke monday at the international conference in seoul. he was addressing the matter of north korea's human rights violation

. >> at the same time the south korean government has been signing free trade agreements. this national policy has helped to boost the bottom lines of the major corporations. they boost the economy by stimulating exports. the beneficiaries are the large corporations. but it's a very different story for smaller companies. in the suburbs of seoul, small business owners gather outside an employment center in the early morning. they've come here to hir foreign workers. twice a year job fairs are held around the country for companies hoping to hire foreign workers. the workers are allocated on a first come, first serve basis, so many company owners line up overnight. but no matter how long they wait, there are rarely enough workers available. >> translator: we wanted five people, but we were told we could only hire three. we need workers but there aren't any. >> reporter: kim yung ho owns a wood processing company on the outskirts of seoul. his company has been struggling in the face of fierce domestic competition. >> translator: large corporations and small businesses should g

this is a south korean special forces sniper. a helicopter, but watch how good he is at being top shot. a moving helicopter, a good distance away from his target. and his targets are balloons. but look at how on-target this guy is from a hovering helicopter. 11 shots, 6 kills. you say, okay, that's impressive. what the heck are you ever going to use this for, right? >> battle? >> yeah. i think this would be incredibly useful. >> very useful. >> sniping some dude that needs sniped. >> this tactic has been used several times on pirates. >> here you go. >> that's useful. >> used to intimidate pirates to just say, not this ship. we'll go on our merry way. and also been used to -- [ gunfire ] >> one thing to say to this. i'm glad our south korean are our allies. >> that's why i said at the beginning, it's good to have guys like this on our side. >>> dog not a fanleh. [ bark ] ♪ [ bark ] >>> any time you mix sun, fun and music, you come up with one thing for sure. great video. at number two. >> lots of cool and crazy stuff going down a

officials feared a confident north korea could go back to tactics like shelling south korean islands. >> we're entering what could be a very dangerous period where if you have north korean provocations and a south korean response it could exschrat. >> reporter: u.s. officials expect the north koreans to set off an underground nuclear explosion at this remote test site where signs of fresh digging have been detected. and the north already has plans for a bigger missile. look at the launch tower and you can see it's built to handle a much taller rocket. >> i think we're underestimating their resilience. i think we're underestimating their will to move forward with these kinds of programs. i. >> reporter: it could take five years, it could take ten but north korea remains on a path to become a nuclear power threatening the united states with an intercontinental ballistic missile. >> pelley: david just mentioned the north koreans invited foreign reporters into the country, something they rarely ever do. they went to great lengths to manage what those reporters got to see, but yesterday th