BEEN NAMED "TIME" MAGAZINE'S 
PERSON OF THE YEAR.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 
CONFIRMATION THAT KIM JONG-UN'S 
UNCLE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM HIS 
POWERFUL POST.
THE STORY WE TOLD YOU ABOUT LAST
WEEK.
STATE TELEVISION AIRED A PHOTO 
OF HIM BEING HAULED AWAY FROM A 
MEETING.
NORTH KOREA SAYS HE WAS REMOVED 
FOR QUOTE, CRIMINAL ACTS, 
INCLUDING CORRUPTION, 
WOMANIZING, ABUSING DRUGS AND 
ALCOHOL AND MISMANAGING THE 
ECONOMY.
HE WAS ALSO ACCUSED OF DREAMING 
DIFFERENT DREAMS.
WHAT THAT MEANS.
I WANT TO BRING IN CHRISTOPHER 
HILL, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY
OF STATE AND LEAD DELEGATE 
DURING THE SIX-PARTY TALKS WITH 
NORTH KOREA FROM 2005 TO 2009.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK.
YOU SUSPECTED THIS WAS TRUE.
NOW WE HAVE CONFIRMATION THE 
UNCLE HAS BEEN PUSHED OUT.
WERE YOU SURPRISED BY HOW MUCH 
DETAIL THE NORTH KOREANS 
RELEASED?
>> YOU BET.
THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THEY 
PURGED LEADERS, EVEN SENIOR 
LEADERS.
IN FACT, JANG SUNG-TAEK HAS BEEN
PURGED BEFORE BUT HAS NEVER DONE
A PERP WALK.
>> WHO DO YOU THINK MIGHT 
REPLACE HIM?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
IF ANYBODY.
BUT I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS
KIM JONG-UN REALLY WANTS TO SAY 
HEY, I'M IN CHARGE, AND HE 
OBVIOUSLY IS IN A POSITION TO DO
THAT.
YOU KNOW, JANG SUNG-TAEK HAS 
BEEN OUT OF THE PICTURE FOR 
SEVERAL MONTHS SO CLEARLY IT HAS
HIS FINGERPRINTS ON IT THAT KIM 
JONG-UN REALLY PULLED THIS OFF 
HIMSELF.
I DON'T THINK HE HAS AS MUCH 
ADULT SUPERVISION TODAY AS HE 
MAY HAVE HAD BEFORE.
>> LET'S TURN TO SOME RARE GOOD 
NEWS OUT OF NORTH KOREA.
IT'S RARE THAT I GET TO DO THIS.
BUT 85-YEAR-OLD KOREAN VETERAN 
MERRILL NEWMAN WAS RELEASED 
AFTER BEING DETAINED BY NORTH 
KOREA FOR OVER A MONTH.
HE'S NOW BACK HOME IN CALIFORNIA
WITH HIS FAMILY.
HE JUST RELEASED A STATEMENT.
QUOTE, I HAVE GIVEN CONSIDERABLE
THOUGHT TO THIS AND HAVE COME TO
THE CONCLUSION THAT I JUST 
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT FOR THE 
NORTH KOREAN REGIME, THE KOREAN 
WAR ISN'T OVER AND THAT EVEN 
INNOCENT REMARKS ABOUT THE WAR 
CAN CAUSE BIG PROBLEMS IF YOU'RE
A FOREIGNER.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALL THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK IT APPEARS THAT
HE MADE SOME COMMENTS TO PEOPLE 
AND THE NORTH KOREANS KIND OF 
WENT TO TOWN ON IT.
I DON'T THINK THEY HAD ANY 
BUSINESS HOLDING HIM.
I DON'T THINK THEY HAD ANY 
BUSINESS DETAINING HIM FOR SO 
MANY WEEKS.
SO I'M GLAD THEY LET HIM GO.
BUT YOU KNOW, THESE KINDS OF 
THINGS HAPPEN AND THAT'S WHY 
PEOPLE REALLY OUGHT TO THINK 
VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT GOING TO 
NORTH KOREA.
>> AND HAVING BEEN TO THE DMZ 
THERE, IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT 
NORTH KOREA IS VERY MUCH -- NOT 
JUST NORTH KOREA, SOUTH KOREA, 
TOO, THEY ARE STILL IN WAR IN 
ALL BUT ACTION.
>> OH, MAN, I HAVE WALKED OVER 
THAT DMZ, WALKED FROM SOUTH 
KOREA INTO NORTH KOREA AND FROM 
NORTH KOREA BACK TO SOUTH KOREA,
AND YEAH, YOU REALLY GET A SENSE
THAT FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S NO 
DEMILITARIZED ZONE IN THAT 
PLACE.
>> IT'S PLENTY MILITARIZED.
MEANWHILE, KEN BAE STILL BEING 
HELD.
HOW DO YOU VIEW HIS PROSPECTS?
>> WELL, HE SHOULD BE RELEASED 
IMMEDIATELY.
THERE IS NO QUESTION.
I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN SOME 
EFFORTS TO TRY TO GET HIM OUT 
AND USUALLY, AS I MENTIONED I 
THINK LAST WEEK, THE BEST WAY TO
HANDLE THIS IS NOT TO TALK TOO 
MUCH ABOUT IT PUBLICLY BUT I'M 
SURE THERE ARE BIG EFFORTS TO 
GET THIS YOUNG MAN OUT.
HE DID NOTHING WRONG.
HE OUGHT TO BE RELEASED 
IMMEDIATELY.
>> THEN LASTLY, WHERE DO YOU SEE
THE FUTURE OF KIM JONG-UN AND 
HIS ACTIONS IN THE REGION?
WHERE DO YOU SEE HIM GOING?
>> YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BIG 
TRANSITION.
WHEN KIM JONG-IL DIED, THE 
FATHER DIED, AND SON TOOK OVER, 
THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY A BIG 
TRANSITION.
BUT EVERYONE LOOKED AT JANG 
SUNG-TAEK AS THE GUY WHO WOULD 
KEEP THIS ALL TOGETHER SO NOW 
HE'S GONE.
IN SOME RESPECTS, THIS IS THE 
BIG TRANSITION.
WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE THIS IS 
HEADING.
ONE THING THAT'S CLEAR TO ME 
THAT KIM JONG-UN IS NOT A 
REFORMER.
THIS IS NOT SOMEONE WHO REALLY 
HAS A KIND OF DIFFERENT VIEW OF 
HOW NORTH KOREA SHOULD ACT.
SO I THINK WE'RE INTO KIND OF 
SOME UNCHARTED WATERS AT THIS 
POINT.
>> DENNIS RODMAN SAID TO BE 
HEADING THERE IN ANOTHER FEW 
WEEKS, BIZARRELY ENOUGH, ONE OF 
THE BEST CHANCES FOR DIPLOMACY 
THAT WE HAVE.
>> DENNIS RODMAN.
WELL, I WAS NEVER A BIG FAN OF 
HIS BASKETBALL AND I'M NOT GOING
TO GET ON
