Detained American Tourists' Fate Tied to a Hollywood Movie
KEILAR: Ominous signs from North Korea including a spate of recent missile launches and now a vow to prosecute two American tourists detained this year. Could all of it be tied to a movie that hasn't even been released yet? CNN's Tom Foreman is looking into it for us. This is a pretty bizarre story.</s>TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. But what we are seeing here maybe is this strange collision of events that have put these American tourists in peril. First, the timing of their visit to North Korea. Second, the White House's current state of play with that nation. And lastly, and most surprisingly, the upcoming release of a new movie, a comedy of all things.</s>FOREMAN (voice-over): "The Interview" is a spoof about tabloid journalists sent to kill the North Korean leader.</s>LIZZY CAPLAN, ACTOR, "THE INTERVIEW": Kim Jong-Un's people believe anything he tells them. And including that he can speak to dolphins or he doesn't urinate and defecate.</s>JAMES FRANCO, ACTOR, "THE INTERVIEW": Whoa, whoa. You're telling my man doesn't pee or poop?</s>SETH ROGEN, ACTOR, "THE INTERVIEW": Everybody pees or poops. Otherwise he'd explode.</s>FRANCO: But he does talk to dolphins.</s>FOREMAN: North Korea is already condemning it, accusing the United States of provocative insanity, an act of war, and promising a decisive and merciless counter measure if the U.S. supports the release of the film. And that is where the two tourists come in. Arrested this past spring some foreign affairs analyst believe their prosecution now may be retribution for the movie and to goad Washington into reengaging talks about weapons, trade and international aid. Victor Cha, Center For Strategic And International Studies: The administration right now seems to be sitting on its hands looking for some sort of signal that the North Koreans are serious about negotiating on their nuclear weapons. They don't see such a signal so they haven't really been engaging very much at all.</s>FOREMAN: Beyond that, why North Korea would prosecute 24-year-old Matthew Miller is a mystery. He allegedly tore up his visa and asked for asylum. And 56-year-old Jeffrey Fowle according to family and friends truly was just visiting, even if he did leave a bible in his hotel room possibly violating laws against proselytizing.</s>TIMOTHY TEPE, ATTORNEY FOR THE FAMILY OF JEFFREY FOWLE: Miss Fowle and the children miss Jeffrey very much. And anxious for his return home.</s>FOREMAN: But all this along with the sentencing last year of another captured American, Kenneth Bae, to 15 years hard labor has the State Department concerned.</s>JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: I don't have the North Korea travel warning in front of me. But I can assure that it suggests strongly not to travel at all to North Korea.</s>FOREMAN: Maybe especially when the movie comes out this fall.</s>FRANCO: You want to go kill Kim Jong-Un?</s>ROGEN: Totally. I'd love to assassinate Kim Jong Un. It's a date."</s>FOREMAN: To be fair, people here would not react very well to a movie about an assassination attempt on United States leaders. But here's the thing, Brianna, when you think about this, this seems ridiculous. And maybe it's just an excuse for North Korea making all of this noise. But there is a very strong cult of personality at work here. Something unlike anything else we know. And clearly they take great offense to the idea that their leader is specifically named in this movie, no matter how the movie was made. And that's what they are acting upon now. So we'll have to see how it plays out.</s>KEILAR: They revere their leader.</s>FOREMAN: A very, very big, near deity for them. And that is something that really matters. They don't take it lightly, even if it's just Hollywood making what we just consider to be a light-hearted joke.</s>KEILAR: Fascinating report. Tom Foreman, thank you so much. And coming up, a new terror threat. Security is being boosted at airports with flights to the U.S. amid concern that al Qaeda is working on undetectable bombs. And a holiday hurricane, the warnings are now up and a big storm could wreak havoc on the East Coast. We have the latest details.