in the end, pyongyang didn't give us any new information about the abductees. i feel really disappointed with results, even though it's what we'd expected before the delegation went there. >> the parents of one of the abductees say they're ageing and cannot wait much longer. >> translator: the officials said that the delegation conveyed to the north koreans that resolving the abduction issue is a top priority. i didn't expect any other words. >> translator: we've been enduring this for 17 years. we just want our daughter to return home. who specializes in north korea, he shared his analysis about the meetings in pyongyang. he says north korean officials are trying to show they are following through on an agreement they made with japan earlier this year and he says they may urge tokyo to take the next step. we have this explanation. >> reporter: he says the meetings were meaningful as japan had the opportunity to stress the abduction issue as a top priority for abe's administration. >> translator: in addition to diplomatic talks, the meetings in pyongyang allowe

will ripley, cnn, pyongyang. >> and now they are. again, will ripley was in north korea talking with them two months ago. >>> the return of the two american detainees in the past day has put the spotlight on another american held in a foreign country. stacy addison is a veterinarian who sold everything she had to travel the world. now she's being held in east timor for a crime she says she did not commit. cnn's susan candiotti has her story. >> reporter: veterinarian stacy addison has a passion for travel and wildlife. from machu picchu to costa rica to the galapagos islands and antarctica. voluntarying to treat animals along the way. winding up in prison was not on her itinerary. >> a crime i didn't commit. it's just a very surreal experience. >> reporter: the oregon vet quit her job, even sold her house to travel the world, her mom tells me, setting out last year. >> she was just having a wonderful time. it was her dream. >> reporter: but in timor west in southeast asia that dream takes a nightmarish turn. during a september trip t

it is a good pr exercise for pyongyang. this is a decision that could only have been made from the top by kim jong-un, the leader himself. the humanitarian gesture according to pyongyang would make him look good. there was no quid pro quo for releasing the two men. we heard recently from the u.s. preside president obama in beijing describe what happened. >> we had an indication there was a possibility of a release of these two hostages or prisoners and we pursued it. it did not touch on some of the broader issues that have been the source of primary concern when it comes to north korea. it's in particular its development of nuclear tests. >> reporter: obama says this is a gesture. he said there is a broader fundamental conflict with washington and pyongyang. the fact that pyongyang is refusing to denuclearize. a statement that obama actually apologized. given an earnest apology for what happened. washington is not commenting directly for that. this is interesting for kim jong-un himself. it is propaganda to say the most pow

the group arrived in pyongyang on monday. early the next day, the head of north korea's special investigation committee, so tae ha, created the -- greeted the visitors. >> i know there are differences of opinion in your country about this visit. i think the trip is a positive step forward. showing the japanese government's will to follow up on our previous agreement. >> a briefing took place on what the north's four investigative panels said they had learned so far. each panel is looking into a particular part of the problem. what became of abducted japanese, missing japanese, those left behind during world war ii, and japanese spouses of north koreans, and the remains of japanese who died in the north near the end of the war. so and some of the officials involved are attached to the ministry of state security. it is thought to be a kind of secret police organization whose representatives rarely are seen on camera. thus, their appearance could be designed to convince japan the north is serious about disclosing what it knows.

pyongyang released a statement claiming that the u.s. president had made many requests and also an apology. now if that's the case, this domestically is propaganda gold for a leader who wants to remain and show that he's relevant on the international stage. paula hancock, cnn, seoul. >> so now we're joined by gordon chang. he's live in toronto. >> gordon, thank you for being with us. you heard paula hancock's reporting. no conditions, no strings attached according to u.s. officials. i heard you earlier say you think there's a charm offensive, that might have been part of the motive for north korea here to release these two men. charm who? elaborate on that for us. >> yeah. north korea wants to charm the international community specifically russia, japan, south korea and now us. the reason is about a year ago there was a rupture in their relations with their primary backer which was china. so north korea needs to replace the support that it's been getting from beijing and where better else than the united states. >> you know, this place i

you interviewed these men two months ago in pyongyang. and i can't imagine what you must be feeling now that they have been released. tell me a little bit about what they told you and also about why you think north korea has all of a sudden released the remaining two. >> reporter: well, this whole experience from start to finish has been really surreal, poppy, as you and i were e-mailing back and forth earlier, because we went to north korea. we asked to speak with these americans. we were told that that would be impossible and then on our last day of filming with almost no notice we were put into a room with each of these men separately in a part of pyongyang that we'd never seen before, that foreigners weren't allowed in. we had strict conditions, but as i listened to each of these men talk, they had is similar talking points, that they were being treated humanely, they were desperate to see their families and most importantly they wanted the help of the united states government. we were being watched as we were doing the interviews. no

director of national intelligence flew to pyongyang for talks. they had been sentenced to 15 years for anti-government activities. victoria gaetan by reports. >> reporter: back home on american soil. kenneth bae steps off a military plane in washington state to be reunited with his family. he's joined on the tarmac by michael todd miller. the two men held in prison camps in north korea. miller gaoled for six years in april. kenneth bae, a christian missionary convicted nearly two years ago for alleged anti-government activities. he had been trying to convert north koreans, and had been serving a 15 year term. >> thank you for support, prayer and love. that has been encouraging for me and others who are in the same shoes in the area as well. thank you. god bless you. >> news of the men's release have been welcomed by president obama. >> okay. it's a wonderful day for them, their families. we are thankful for their safe return: >> reporter: director clapper is james clapper the director of national intelligence. he was the highest ranking american

he held back a lot even when i spoke with him in pyongyang. there were a lot of questions he didn't want to answer. he didn't want to talk about any conversations he had with his family or motive for enter the country and tearing up his visa in the first place. their family was very private saying they didn't want to talk. to see them pull back and stay away from the spotlight is the same, you know, that the family -- the same approach the family has taken this whole time. that certainly is their right to have this moment, you know, as a famili family without being bothered by the media. >> how do you think your interviews with them played into any possible back room negotiations that led to the release? >> well, look, we were there again for a completely unrelated assignment. the moment we entered the country, one of the first questions is if we could speak'three detained americans. we were told that is impossible. we asked a couple other time. we were told it wasn't going to happen. then our last day, they decided to grant this interview. it

director of national intelligence flew to pyongyang for talks. kenneth bae had been sentenced to 15 years for anti-government activities, and michael todd miller a 16 month gaol term for espionage >>> back home on american soil. kenneth bae steps off a plane in military washington state. he's joined on the tarmac by michael todd miller. the two men were held in prison examples in north korea. michael todd miller was gaoled for six years, kenneth bae, a christian missionary convicted two years ago for alleged anti-government activities. he'd been trying to convert north koreans. he'd been serving a 15 year term. >> thank you for all your support and prayer and love. that has been encouraging for me, and for others. thank you. god bless you >>> news of the men's release had been welcomed earlier by president obama. >> reporter: director clapper is james clapper, the director of national intelligence. he was the highest ranking american to visit pyongyang in a decade. it's not clear why filip chlapik was brought in to negotiate or whether he had a s

director of national intelligence james clapper, who made the trip to pyongyang earlier this week to secure their release. clapper is the highest ranking american official to travel to the reclusive nation in 14 years. while today's news is cause for celebration for both men's families, the exact nature of the talks that led to their remains cloaked in secrecy. we have two reports beginning with nbc's chris jansing at the white house. chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the official u.s. government statement said simply, they're on their way home. an understated description for the highly secretive, high-stakes mission. adding to the intrigue the man who helped win bae and miller's release is america's top spy, james clapper. he's on the plane with them right now, on the last leg of their journey to freedom. the long nightmare for kenneth bae and matthew todd miller ended dramatically, like something out of a spy novel, the central character in the top-secret mission to win their release is america's top intelligence official james clapper. after abruptly cancelin

it's a step toward confronting pyongyang and that would lead to the international criminal court. we turn to paula hancocks from south korea with background on this. >> reporter: rosemary, north korea's managed to ignore many u.n.kcondem condemnations over the years, but this one has them rattled. pyongyang's sending officials all over the world trying to mitigate the effects of the inquire eye. th they deny many charges and are trying to discredit many defectors and those who have been part of the political prison system in north korea. we spoke to one of those men who saw it first hand. he shows me the scars from his time in north korea's brutal camp. he says by the time he was released he barely had any teeth left. he's also blind in one eye. bodyguard to kim jong il for years. he was imprisoned and tortured for months before being sent to the camp. the one man who has truly seen both sides and lived to tell the tale. when i got there, he says, people looked like walking skeletons. they had severe malnutrition, as did i. my weight dropped from 94 kilos to 58 kilos in six months

to the commander of chief in pyongyang is significant. there were -- between the two but here that is the most direct contact we have seen between these two leaders. >> paula, thanks. we're getting? dropout in your audio with our live signal to you. so we'll get back to you with more perspective on the story. let's turn elsewhere now for kenneth bae's family. of course it's a day they and my next guest have been waiting a long time for. david sugarman is founder of the bring bae back campaign and a close friend of the bae family. david, you worked passionately to keep kenneth bae in the spotlight. you did a good job that. describe it's important. you know? i put a lot of time and a lot of effort and i met a lot of great people congressman, senators, madam secretary clinton, all through this -- through kenneth bae and the bring bay back campaign so today has been a very emotional day for me. i've spoke with the family a bunch of times so it's just -- it's really, really amazing to actually -- it's so surreal to see this. >> i'm certain he

this had rattled pyongyang. we've seen a concerted effort around the world by north korean officials. and this is consumed to be the case with jeffrey foul. i there will be a certain amount of suspicion from south korean officials but they will welcome the fact these two are released. of course there are south koreans being held as well. and they will certainly be pushing for them to be released. >> good point. >> if you are just joining us and thank you to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. just this stunning news at this hour that really came out of nowhere. there was no leadup to it. there was no indication that this was happening. but kennett bae and matthew todd miller, two of the americaning detained in north korea are on their way home. we are being told remember that kennett bae has been held for the last two years. he was sentenced to 15 years hard labor. and then of course we have a matthew todd miller. who that is a little more of a myste mystery. he was said he tore up his visa, he wa

official who traveled to pyongyang to help set them free. our ana cabrera is there right now. what do we know? what's the arrival schedule? who is going to be there to meet them? >> reporter: we're learning a little new information. in fact, we've now heard they are expected to arrive here at tacoma washington around 9:00 pacific time, four and a half or five hours from now, poppy. and we understand bae's family, who is from this area in washington state, will be here to greet that plane and are so excited to embrace their brother, son, father. we also understand matthew miller will also be on that plane, along with james clapper, director of national intelligence, who was so instrumental in securing their release, as well as u.s. delegation who also went to north korea. we have learned more too about exactly what happened leading up to that event and their release. apparently, the family, bae's family, got the call at 2:00 a.m. this morning that he had been released. we understand that the u.s. administration received some kind of a call for a contact from pyongyang about mid

he didn't go to pyongyang empty-handed. he carried a hand-written letter from president obama directly to north korean leader kim jong-un. these simple but unusual facts raise a lot of questions, and are sure to provoke intense speculation. let's bring in cnn intelligence and security analyst, bob baer. bob, were you surprised clapper was the one chosen to do this? >> well, in one sense, i was. because this isn't the role of american intelligence, is to serve as diplomatic emissary to a country like north korea. this is either done through protecting powers like sweden or to the united nations or diplomats. so it was a surprise to me, yes. but on the other hand, the north koreans tend to attribute more power to intelligence chiefs than they do diplomats. so if they have an important message to deliver, they would want the intelligence chief there rather than a diplomat. so in that sense, it does make sense. and i think what we're seeing with north korea is this is maybe the possible detonte in our relationships. i think nor

he was the highest ranking american to visits pyongyang in more than a decade. it's not clear why clapper was brought in to negotiator whether he had a second reason for meeting with officials in pyongyang. the north koreans reportedly prefer for negotiate with either former presidents or high-profile diplomat on his the fate of u.s. citizens. there is some speculation that by releasing the men kim jong u.n. might be trying to is off end their imager. and the u.n. security council could soon refer kim and other north korean official to his the international court for human rights try solutions, neither bay nor miller will be prosecuted for travel to go north korea. but the obama administration is warning other americans it's not a good idea to visit. >>> robert kelly is professor of political science and diplomacy the in south korea. he says that this time the north korean prisoner release is different. >> in the past the north koreans have milked these arrests of americans for a big high-profile visit frit a former president or high upp up official. this is dif

it does not constitute an opening in relations with pyongyang. the opportunity came together in the past few days. not clear what exactly prompted them. it's important to note that their release comes weeks after another american, jeffrey fowler, was releaguesed as well. he was held nearly six months. he had left a bible in a nightclub in the hopes it would reach north korea's underground christian community. a huge moment for the families as they are taking mikts. these dwoo men twb you can imagine the ordeal that they went through after being held there will and sentenced to hard labor in north korea. suddenly their release comes and now the home and family they have known is now their reality. hoping to hear from them. we have not seen matthew todd miller come out of the plane. this is a huge moment for the other american who was held there, kenneth bae as he can walking away with family members. unexpected turn here as far as the release of these two americans who were released from north korea, arriving home in washington. we know that kenne

and of course pyongyang has been on a charm offensive to mitigate this report. and also been rather elusive about the defectors themselves that have been claiming these human rights abuses, effectively calling them human scum. we spoke to one of those defectors, someone who had firsthand knowledge of one of these political labor camps. i'm shown the scars from the time in north korea's infamously brutal political camp. beaten so often, he says by the time he was released, he barely had any teeth left. he's also blind in one eye. bodyguard to former leader kim jong-il for years, after he was imprisoned he was tortured for years. the one man who has truly seen both sides of north korea and lived to tell the tale. "when i got there," he says, "people looked like walking skeletons. they had severe malnutrition, as did i. plus, i'd been beaten so much, my weight dropped from 94 dill kilos to 58 in six months." watching footage of a labor camp from a north korean defector group, he his heart break when he look back. he talk of scarce food, beatings, weekly executions

and when the issue was dealt with, apparently had to stop again in guam on the way to pyongyang. at the end of the day, it just delayed the mission by a day. so he was meant to get there a day earlier and then those americans would have been freed a day earlier. the mission probably would have gone on. i imagine the u.s. would have mustered another plane if this one proved incapable of making the trip all the way to pyongyang. but it's certainly embarrassing. what's interesting, it's not the first time it's happened to the u.s. flight crew for flying senior officials around. john kerry, you'll remember, just a few weeks ago returning from sensitive negotiations in the middle east, his plane broke down. he had to fly commercial home. gets to a larger issue here where the u.s. fleet has to be upgraded. a number of folks in washington are pushing for that. here we had it happen in the middle of of one of the most sensitive missions. >> we're back in a moment. i tho. ♪ ♪ (dad) there's nothing i can't reach in my subaru. (vo) introducing the all-new subaru outback. love. it's what

we have seen an extraordinary charm offensive by the top officials in pyongyang. they've been traveling around the world trying to mitigate this report, trying to lessen the impact of this report which alleges crimes against humanitarian. it's interesting that this report should affect the regime so much. but it has. we know there will be a vote on tuesday, u.s. time. and many of those defectors and those who have been subjected to these prison and labor camps have been testifying to the united nations and have been vilified by pyongyang itself. we spoke to one of those who saw the camp up close. >> reporter: lee shows me the scars from his time from the political camp. beaten so often he says by the time he was released he barely had any teeth left. he's also blind in one eye. he was a body guard for kim jong il for years. then after trying to defect he was tortured and beaten before being sent to the camp. he lived to tell the tale. when i got there, he says, people looked like walking skeletons. they had severe malnutrition, as did i. plus, i'd been beaten so m

this is really what pyongyang wanted. they wanted the commander in chief of the u.s., president obama, to be apologizing to the leader of north korea. >> this is the most correct meeting or connection that these two leaders have ever had. it is significant that this letter was taken by james clapper, effectively saying that he was the personal envoy. it's significant. >> especially this letter is supposed to be short and sweet, according to the u.s. officials we've been speaking with. thank you. paula hancocks. >> tell us more about this reunion. i can imagine it was a very emotional rewrun. what are the men saying about being back home? >> it was such a joyful reunion, indeed, when we saw both those families enbrace their loved ones as they arrived here back in the u.s. we're hearing more about what kenneth bae has been up to since he arrived this morning. we understand he has been eating pizza, spending a lot of time sharing stories with his family and friends, really enjoying those simple mrurz, and we're outside the c

director of national intelligence flew to pyongyang. we have more. >> back home an american soil, kenneth bay steps off a plane as a military base in washington state to be reunited with his family. he's joined on the tarmac by matthew todd miller. the two were held in prison camps in north korea, miller was jailed for six years on espionage charges, bay, a christian minister was convicted two years ago. he'd been trying to convert north careens. he'd been serving a 15 year term. >> thank you for your support, prayer and love. that has really been encourage forego me and for others who are in the same shoes there and elsewhere. thank you, god bless you. >> news of the men's release wericcal comed by president obama earlier. james was the highest american diplomat to visit pyongyang in more than a decade. it's not clear why he was brought in to negotiate or whether he had a second reason for meeting with officials in pyongyang. there's speculation that by releasing the men, kim jong-un might be trying to soften his country's image. north

members of a general assembly committee want to refer leaders in pyongyang to the international criminal court. delegates from japan and the eu introduced the resolution. it says people in north korea are carrying out serious human rights violations that may constitute crimes against humanity. and it says these actions reflect policies put in place by leaders. the resolution urges the security council to refer the issue to the international criminal court. it says the court should punish those who are responsible. >> despite the continued calls of the general assembly and human rights council in the last ten years, the grave human rights situation in the dprk remains the same. >> officials from pyongyang rejected the document and pledged to press on with their nuclear program. >> the outrageous and unreasonable human rights campaign staged by the united states and its followers in the attempts -- in their attempts to eliminate the state and social system of the dprk is compelling us not to refrain any further from conducting nuclear tests. >> 111 committee members voted in favor of the r

looking from teheran over at islambad and pyongyang, are these instructive examples? does it tell you, hum, we ought to press on with this or maybe we ought to stop? >> no, it's an spw-pg point. because i think iran has been pursuing the capability to potentially have a nuclear weapon. which i think has been the real question for u.s. policy makers and allies, you know, why iran is doing all of this. because it's paid a heavy cost for its program. and sort of when you look at a place like pyongyang or islambad they were driven by their own calculations pakistan has to look towards india and north career harassed to look towards both the threat from the u.s. as well as russia or china. whereas iran has to, you know, has a fear, i think an ex- existential fear that people are trying to overthrow the regime. the idea of a potential nuclear weapon even if it's an ambiguous one i like to think the strategic ambiguity iran is pursuing that where it doesn't get the arsenal but may have one. it does deter an invasion from the u.s. or other military attacks, look at lib yeah,

director of intelligence flew to pyongyang for talks. victoria gaetan by reports. >> reporter: back home on american soil, kenneth bae steps off a plane at a military pace in washington state to be reunited by his family. he's joined soon after by michael todd miller. the two men were held in prison camps. miller was held for espionage charges. they and the military was kidnapped. he had been trying to convert north koreans. and serving a 15 year term. >> thank you for your support, prayers and love. that is encouraging for me and others who are in the same shoes. thank you. god bless you. >> news of the men's release was welcomed by president obama. >> it's a wonderful day for them and their families. >>> director clapper is james clapper, the u.s.'s director of national an intelligence. he was the highest ranking official to visit pyongyang in more than a decade. it's not clear where clapper was brought in to negotiate or meet with officials in pyongyang. the north koreans prefer to negotiate with either former presidents or high-profi

he was the highest ranking american to visit pyongyang in more than a decade. it's not clear why he was brought in to negotiate or had a second meeting for meeting with officials in pyongyang, the north careens prefer to negotiate with either former presidents or high profile diplomats on the state of u.s. citizens. there's speculation kim jong-un might be trying to soften his country's image. the u.n. security council could refer him and other officials to the u.n. international court for human rights violations. neither men will be prosecuted for traveling to north korea but the obama administration is warning other americans it's not a good idea to visit. >> still to come on the news hour, we'll be live in barcelona where catalans are denying voting. >> in sport, hoping this isn't an omen ahead of the brazilian grand prix. stay with us. the story that shocked the nation sex crimes on campus: >> i remember waking up and he was trying to have sex me... >> now we return has anything changed? >> his continued presence on the campus put the entire community at ri

director of national intelligence flew to pyongyang for talks. bae had been sentenced for 15 years for anti-government activities, miller six years for espionage. >> reporter: back home on american soil, kenneth bae step off a plane at a military base in washington state. followed by matthew todd miller. the two men were immediately reunited with their families. miller was jailed earlier this year for disturbing the peace. bae a christian missionary had been convicted nearly two years ago for trying to convert north koreans. >> thank you for all of your support and prayer. and your love. that is really been encouraging for me. and for others who are in the same shoes. thank you. god bless you. >> reporter: the men's release by the north koreans was welcomed by president obama. >> it's a wonderful day for them and their families. and obviously they are very grateful. for their safe return. and i appreciate the great job on what was obviously a challenging mission. >> reporter: director clapper is james clap he should the u.s.' director the nationa

he was the highest ranking american to visits pyongyang in more than a decade. it's not clear why clapper was brought in to negotiation or whether he had a second reason for meeting the with official in pyongyang. the north koreans prefer to deal with former presidents or high-profile citizens. there is some speculation that by releasing the end that kim might being trying to soften thoughts on korean. and the u.n. security council could soon refer kim and other officials to the humans rights court for violations. neither bae or miller will be was prosecute today going there will you the government is warping other americans it's not a good idea to go there. >>> robert kelsey professor of political sign and diplomacy in south korea and he says this time the north korean prisoner release is different. >> in the past the north koreans have milked these arrests of americans for a big high-profile visit frit a former president or high up official. this is actually pretty important for the north koreans for domestic legitimacy when the american leading stands next to

he met them at a pyongyang hotel. they each asked for the u.s. to help him win their release and will ripley joins me live from tokyo. it is must be amazing to have been with them just two months ago and now they are free. let's talk about kenneth bae because his health was really in focus. his family saying he was not doing well. how was he when you were with him? >> reporter: i was struck, poppy, when i saw him in person because i'd only seen video clips of him previously and he had lost so much weight. and another thing that i notice it didn't show up well on camera but there were chunks of his hair that were falling out, there were long pieces but a lot of bald patches on his head. i didn't know what was going on with that, but he was very tired. he seemed very worn out. two years in north korea, it certainly is an exhausting place for a lot of different reasons. mentally and physically. the fact that inspite of his declining health he had just gotten out of the hospital but he was at a labor camp doing agricultural work six days a week. he t

a top spy chief from the united states arrives in pyongyang carrying a letter from the u.s. president. he leaves one day later with two former prisoners. no conditions and no strings acatch attached according to the u.s. why this sudden humanitarian gesture from north korea? >> clearly they crave having this kind of high-level attention. obviously they're pleased general clapper came. >> reporter: kim jong-un wants to show he's still in charge after disappearing for six weeks. he's back in the spotlight, limping but without the cane. others believe pyongyang's recent charm offensive including a high-profile visit to seoul, technically enemy territory is a pr exercise to improve its image. the trigger, abuses a report termed crimes against humanity. >> had to basically show a lighter side, humane side to the international community. although there could be labor actions or international criminal court proceeding against north korea, north korea is also very much conscious of its reputation. >> reporter: the release of matthew todd miller and kenneth bae comes after jeffrey fo

it's not clear what pyongyang's attitude is going to be about this. in the past, the republicans have accused the intaobama administration of trusting of pyongyang on intentions of dismantling the nuclear weapons program. possibly with the republicans controlling both houses of congress, there is a high possibility there is going to be a call for action of a more aggressive stanchion towards north korea, especially if north korea continues within its nuclear tests. >> teresa, thank you. we have covered a number of the hot spots around the world tonight. we haven'ted covered china. adrienne, what are the biggest issues the u.s. and the china face in their relationship? >> john a quirk of the calendar means that president obama will be here attending the apay check economic summit that will involve world current trees from 21 countries. he will arrive here at a time that the host has never seemed stronger. president obama's hand may not be strong had when they sit down and have discussions on things like signer security, just last month, washington once

they say it is good pr for pyongyang. if you look at it, the north korea official statement that came out after the two citizens were released, they say that u.s. president obama had given an earnest apology. now washington hasn't commented on this particular statement, but the fact is if they have an apology from the most powerful man in the world, for kim jong-un, this is propaganda gold. he can use this to show the power and leverage he has on the international stage. that is the way it will be spun in the country itself. it is good pr as far as they're concerned. they played this as a humanitarian gesture. they want to soften their image. there is the united nations inquiry into the human rights abuses in north korea. that is working through the u.n. as we speak. we have seen a charm offensive from pyongyang around the world trying to soften its image and lessen the impact of this u.n. report. fears that could be sanctions and the leader could be referred to the icc. john. >> the u.s. wading into the opening with nort

the top spy chief in the united states arrives in pyongyang carrying a letter from the u.s. president. why this sudden gesture from north korea? >> clearly they crave having this kind of high level attention. is he back in the spotlight. limping but without the cane. some believe pyongyang's offensive including a high profile visit to seoul, technically enemy territory, is a p.r. exercise to improve its image. the trigger, the united nations inquiry of human rights abuses in north korea, abuses the report terms crimes against humanity. >> it had to basically show a lighter side, a more humane side to the international community because although there could be legal sanctions or even the national criminal court proceedings against north korea, north korea is also very much conscious of its reputation. >> the release of kenneth bae and matthew todd miller comes two weeks after a third u.s. citizen, jeffrey foul, won his freedom. no u.s. citizens remain in north korean captivity. >> paula hancocks joins us live from seoul, south korea. paula, what is the reaction like there? >>

doesn't have a embassy in pyongyang. it's understood they didn't receive anything in return from washington in exchange for the men. that seems unusual, julie, often they want something in return. congressional leadership was notified once clapper's visit was under way. today's news comes swiftly after the release last month of jeffrey foul. it now means north korea is no longer holding any americans and that is good news. >> it certainly is. thank you very much. >> the us-led coalition against isis launching a dozen new air strikes over the last three days as the battle for the syrian town kobani rages on. john is reporting live from our middle east bureau with more details. what can you tell us about the latest? >> well, kelly, yeah, the fight for kobani continues to be a bloody tug of war between isis militants and iraqi kurdish forces. since arriving last week in kobani, the peshmerga attempted to weaken control but the siege by isis continues. u.s. air strikes have helped in the fight. they continue u.s. military of

a jet, military version of the 737, delayed twice on the way to pyongyang. once? honolu honolulu, the second time in guam. they may have been home by friday, but regardless, a remarkable moment in the long troubled u.s.-north korea relationship. the mission to bring the americans home was the result of elaborate behind the scenes planning and ultimately a risk. north korea approached the u.s. two weeks ago asking for a high level u.s. envoy. >> we had an indication there was the possibility of the release of these two hostages, prisoners, and we pursued it. >> reporter: the u.s. responded with jiames clapper, the nations top spy, but not a diplomat. he carried a letter addressed to kim jong-un stating he was traveling as the president's envoy solely to bring the two americans home. clapper, who did not meet with kim himself, did not know he would succeed in his mission until he, bae and miller were on their way back. >> it's been an amazing two years. i grew a lot, learned a lot, lost a lot of weight, in a good way. but i stayed strong because of you. >> reporter:

. >> one led by the nation's top spy, director of intelligence james clapper who flew to pyongyang for a final step in what officials have called a long-term negotiation. >> this was the final step in a very well choreographed ballet. this was something that had been predetermined. so there was no real uncertainty when he arrived in pyongyang as to the fact that he was going to bring these two guys back. >> reporter: matthew todd miller was arrested last spring after reportedly ripping up his visa at the airport. he was charged with espionage and sentenced to hard labor. kenneth bae was held for more than two years. when his health declined his family issued a statement upon news of his release. >> we have been waiting for and praying for this day for two years. our thanksgiving day celebration this year will be one we will never forget. >> this is a wonderful day for them, their families, obviously we're very grateful for their safe return. >> the release comes week after fellow prisoner jeffrey foul was released. all three are free with bae and miller back on american soil. >> today

serving a six-year sentence on charges of espionage after allegedly ripping up his tourist visa at the pyongyang airport. theas been 25 years since fall of the berlin wall that separated east and west berlin. how thousands at of people honored the historic moment in germany. eightliners released house and lighted white balloons into the sky, marking the path of the berlin wall with a sign of peace. a quarter of the center -- a quarter of a century has passed since the fall of the berlin wall -- a concrete wall separating east and west berlin from 1961 to 1989, cutting off friends and relatives in the same city. it became an iconic symbol of the cold war. the german chancellor time rated the occasion with words of hope. the wall showed his dreams can come true. nothing has to stay as it is. on november 9, 19 89, germans tore the wall down. some with their hands, others using hammers and pick axes. it ignited a spark that symbolize the end of the cold war. >> it was a movement i the .eople of east berlin >> a 1.6 mile long portion of the wall known as the east side gallery is still standing and ac

when he landed at pyongyang in april, he requested asylum. while he'll be headed home to palo alto in california, how did the release come about? it had been set up months ago, most likely by north korea's mission to the united nations in new york and with the help of sweden which is the u.s.'s protective power in pyongyang because we don't have a diplomatic mission there. it's not about trying to gain political prestige at home. >> in exchange for that we have negotiated with essential terrorists with those holding americans hostage and who have the trappings of legitimacy, who can tell their own people or their enablers to keep them in power that they beat the united states. >> reporter: while bae and miller were considered by washington to be bargaining chips for north korea, they are the last americans to be held there. that doesn't help the u.s. so much as pyongyang will be still be levering that nuclear issue with them. we'll see if they talk about their ordeal once they're back. the focus now though is just getting them home. >> absolu

the official flew to pyongyang. >> this was the final step in a well choreographed ballet. this was something that had been predetermined so there was no real uncertainty as to the fact that he was going to bring these two guys back. >> matthew todd miller ripped are up his visa at the airport. kenneth bae had been held more than two years in a labor camp. when his health declined, his family released a statement. we have waiting and praying for this for two years. the celebration will be one we will never forget. >> obviously we are grateful for their safe return. >> fellow prisoner was released home to his country. >> we will be monitoring the story overnight. look for updates tomorrow morning on news4 today. >>> police are investigating a shooting in southwest d.c. a man was shot a few blocks from the waterfront metro station >>> three men took part in a gangland-style shooting that wounded 13 people in the district. they are facing long sentences. this video is from march. you can see people scram bemg for cover as the shooting started. it started as a dispute between r

sent national intelligence director general james clapper to pyongyang. clapper brought along a letter from president obama addressed to dear leader himself, kim jong-un. cnn chief national security correspondent jim sciutto joins me now. this mission almost didn't get off the ground. >> yes. we learned today that this lofty and diplomat ic mission almost didn't happen. clapper's plane had to stop twice with mechanical problems. bae and miller might have been home free by friday otherwise. regardless, still a remarkable moment in the long troubled u.s./north korea relationship. the mission to bring americans kenneth bae and matthew miller home was the result of a elaborate behind-the-scenes planning and ultimately a risk. north korea approached the u.s. two weeks ago asking for a high-level u.s. envoy. >> we had indication that there was the possibility of the release of these two hostages, prisoners. and we pursued it. >> reporter: the u.s. responded with james clapper, the nation's top spy, but not a diplomat who might signal the opening of a broader ne

so there was no real uncertainty when he arrived in pyongyang as to the fact that he was going to bring these two guys back. >> president obama reacted to the news the men were released. >>> i think it's a wonderful day for them and their families and obviously -- >> miller, who is from bakersfield, had been arrested this spring after reportedly ripping up his visa at the airport. he was charged with espionage and sentenced to hard labor. bae, a korean american missionary from seattle had been held for more than two years. both in a labor camp and then in a hospital in failing health. >> we have to exercise a certain skepticism -- >> a senior fellow at the hoover institution at stanford institution offered insight on the timing of the release. >> clearly, they don't care about human beings. these are simply pawns to them. it was a good time to release them. they extracted a great deal of political capital out of them by just holding them, which makes them look strong to their own people. >> their release leaves no known american prisoners in north korea. marianne favro, nbc bay area new

japanese delegates wrapped up talks with north korean official in pyongyang. >>> creating leaders, a new international boarding school brings together a diverse student body in hopes of cultivating innovators for the future. >>> luring the culprit, a japanesees

doing this and distracting attention from beijing is a slight insult against china and it seems like pyongyang is moving away from its relationship with china and closer to america. >> let's pick up on that point. where does china fit in in all of this? >> i think china has been -- the relationship between china and north korea have been very cold, especially since december when kim jung unexecuted his uncle who was seen as the china hand in the north korean administration and i think chinese seem to be fed-if he ha this idea that they have any influence over north korea and their bad behavior. it seems like they are trying to not be that involved and concentrating diplomatic injuries elsewhere. the united states seems like it's a little more willing to play ball with the north koreans and this happened. >> if this was about the north koreans gaining some good will with the international community, is that actually going to happen? >> it's hard to say. i mean, if you do something wrong like imprison two americans and then make it right, you know, do you gain good will? >> right you are writing

the leader visited a cartoon studio in pyongyang accompanied by his younger sister. they identified her as a vice department director of the north korean worker's party. he first appeared on state run tv in december 2011 after the death of her father. but there is no mention of her official title at that time. in march this year, the state media introduced her as a senior official of the central committee. since then, her activities have often been reported in the news. >>> a suicide bomber has attacked a british embassy vehicle in eastern kabul. afghan officials say five are dead and at least 30 are wounded. they say taliban fighters have been escalating their attacks and they say they've seen a sharp rise in civilian casualties. they say they were targeting foreigners in a text message sent to nhk. >> someone was hit in the eye and another's ear was missing. >> at least 45 people were killed on sunday in a separate incident. a suicide bomber attacked a volleyball game. the president has vowed to build a safe society since taking office in late september. u.s.-led i

he said officials in pyongyang want to strengthen bilateral ties. he said they are developing in the russian east under the policies of putin. they have already exported natural resources through a special economic zone in north korea. they are supposed to send a special shipment of coal. they are seeking closer ties with russia as a way of gaining foreign currency amid souring relations with china. >>> officials at japan's defense ministry have chosen u.s.-made aircraft to be the first large-scale drones. they want to better monitor the activities of neighboring countries. the drone has a wingspan of about 40 meters. it can monitor the ground in an altitude of 22,000 meters with an advanced infrared sensor. the drone also has a mechanism to avoid collisions with other aircraft. defense officials planned to start introducing the global hawk in fiscal 2019. a request funds the drone. they consider deploying the aircraft at the misawa base. the ministry has also decided to buy four u.s.-made early warning aircraft. it has a wider range than the earlie