KOREA TO FIND OUT. HE JOINS US NOW FROM
PYEONGCHANG.
PYEONGCHANG. KEIR, GOOD MORNING.
>> Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
TOMORROW, NORTH KOREA WILL HOLD A MILITARY PARADE, A DAY AHEADD
A MILITARY PARADE, A DAY AHEAD OF THE OPENING CEREMONY HERE,
WHERE SOUTH KOREAN ATHLETES WILL
COMPETE ALONGSIDE NORTH KOREANS.
THE AMERICANS ACCUSING NORTH
KOREA OF USING THE OLYMPICS FOR PROPAGANDA.ING THE OLYMPICS FOR
PROPAGANDA.
WE SPENT A WEEK INSIDE NORTH
KOREA AND GAINED RARE ACCESS TO
THE PEOPLE THERE.
THE FLIGHT INTO NORTH KOREA
CROSSES MOUNTAINOUS TRAIN, SOUTHEAST TO THE CAPITAL.,
SOUTHEAST TO THE CAPITAL. WE DROVE AT DUSK FROM THE
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS, CLEAN.
ORGANIZED AND A LOT OF PEOPLE IN UNIFORM.D AND A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
UNIFORM.
A TOUR OF WEAPONS CAPTURED FROM AMERICAN FORCES IN THE KOREANOM
AMERICAN FORCES IN THE KOREAN WAR COUNTS AS A SCHOOL OUTING
HERE.
HERE.
WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING HERE?
WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT THE GREAT FIGHTING SPIRIT OF OUR WARGREAT
FIGHTING SPIRIT OF OUR WAR HEROES, THIS CHILD TELLS ME.
AMERICA GAVE UNFATHOMABLE PAIN
TO OUR PEOPLE, HE SAYS.
HERE, AN AMUSEMENT PARK IN THE
CAPITAL.
CAPITAL.
BUMPER CARS.
THEYRE RUTHLESS THESE GUYS.
AND CELL PHONE CAMERAS, THOUGH
NOT CONNECTED TO THE WORLDWIDE WEB, THEYRE SMALL SIGNS OF ADE
WEB, THEYRE SMALL SIGNS OF A GROWING ECONOMY.
GROWING ECONOMY. THE AVERAGE INCOME AROUND $1,000
TO $2,000 A YEAR.
BUT EVERYONE WE MET WAS QUICK TO
THANK ONE PERSON FOR EVERYTHING.
THE COUNTRYS SUPREME LEADER.
YOU THANK KIM JONG-UN FOR THIS
IFTHIS?
IFTHIS? AT A BEER HOLE, THE USUAL BAR
CHAT, LOCAL BREW AND SNACKS.
SMOKY, VINEGARY, CHEWY.
YOU NEED BEER WITH IT.
THE CONVERSATION BECOMES MORE
ANIMATED AS BAR TALK OFTEN DOES.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF AMERICA?
WE ARE READY TO FIGHT, THIS MAN
SAYS, UNTIL OUR LAST DROP OF
BLOOD.
BLOOD.
BUT ANOTHER SAYS, TRUTHFULLY, WE
DONT WANT TO BECOME AMERICAS ENEMY.ANT TO BECOME AMERICAS
ENEMY.
AS FATHERS, WE ALL WANT PEACE.
IN THIS TIGHTLY CONTROLLED COUNTRY, YOU CAN NEVER BE SURE
WHAT PEOPLE ARE TRULY THINKING.
THEY ARE CONSTANTLY ACCOMPANIED
BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS,
LISTENING IN AND TRANSLATING.
INEVITABLY, WE WERENT SHOWN
EVIDENCE OF WHAT AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL CALLS VIOLATIONS
OF MOST ASPECTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
THIS, THE COUNTRY WHERE OTTO
WARMBIER WAS SENTENCED FOR 15
YEARS FOR THE THEFT OF A POSTER.
THE STUDENT MYSTERIOUSLY FELL
INTO A COMA AND NEVER REGAINED
CONSCIOUSNESS.
CONSCIOUSNESS.
ON FRIDAY, OTTO WARMBIERS DAD WILL ATTEND THE OLYMPIC OPENING
CEREMONY AS A GUEST OF VICE
PRESIDENT PENCE.
PRESIDENT PENCE. THE DIPLOMATIC TENSION, SPILLING
OVER IN THE SPORTS ARENA.
AMONG THOSE WHO QUALIFIED, TWO
NORTH KOREAN SKATERS.
THEIR OLYMPIC DREAMS HAVE
FLOURISHED HERE, UNDER THE
WATCHFUL EYE OF THE LEADERS.
WHEN YOURE FROM NORTH KOREA,
THE PRESSURE IS AT ANOTHER
LEVEL.
LEVEL.
WE MEET THEIR MENTOR, THIS 74-YEAR-OLD SPEED SKATINGS
74-YEAR-OLD SPEED SKATING CHAMPION.
CHAMPION.
SHE WAS THE FIRST KOREAN TO MEDAL AT A WINTER OLYMPICS BACK
IN 1964.
IN 1964. SHE HAS DREAMT OF NORTH AND
SOUTH COMPETING AS WON.
HER BROTHER, SHE EXPLAINS, LIVED
IN THE SOUTH.
I LAST SPOKE TO HIM IN 1990, SHE
SAYS.
SAYS.
FOUR YEARS AGO, HE DIED OF CANCER.ARS AGO, HE DIED OF
CANCER.
FOR DECADES, FAMILIES HAVE BEEN DIVIDED, LIVES DEVASTATED, BY A
CONFLICT THAT HERE, THEY SAY,
NEVER ENDED.
NEVER ENDED. IN AN EDUCATION CENTER, WITH ITS
OWN REPLICA MISSILE, YOUNG
PEOPLE LEARN MUSIC AND SPORTS.
BUT THESE BOYS MUST SOON START
TEN YEARS MILITARY SERVICE.
WOULD YOU RATHER FIGHT FOR YOUR
COUNTRY OR PLAY SPORT FOR YOUR
COUNTRY?
COUNTRY? WE WOULD RATHER PROTECT OUR
COUNTRY, ONE SAYS.
FOR OUR NATION, I CAN SACRIFICE
MY HAPPINESS AND LIFE, SAYS
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER.
EVEN TODAY, NORTH KOREANS PEOPLE KNOW LITTLE OF THE
OUTSIDE WORLD BESIDE WHAT
THEYRE TOLD.
THEYRE TOLD. AND MOST OF US KNOW LITTLE OF
THEM.
THEM.
A NOTE ON HOW OUR TRIP WAS
ORGANIZED, WE ASKED FOR WHERE WE
WANTED TO GO.
OF COURSE, THE GOVERNMENT
CONTROLLED WHERE WE WENT.
SO, INEVITABLY, THE PEOPLE THAT
WE SPOKE TO WERE PRO-GOVERNMENT. WHAT WE DIDNT SEE,RO-GOVERNMENT.
WHAT WE DIDNT SEE, HODA, WHAT DEFECTORS HAVE TALKED
ABOUT, WHICH ARE TERRIBLE