Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
North Korean Soldiers Learning Russian Commands and May Be Sent to Ukraine Front Lines, South Korean Lawmakers Say; How Much Does Halloween Cost?; 2023 CNN Hero of the Year. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired October 31, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Welcome to CNN 10. One of the best days of the year, October 31st. Happy Halloween.
Hope y`all are ready to get geared up, get some candy and make some great memories with your friends and family.
We`re just five days away from the presidential election, which will determine the 47th president of the United States.
So we`ll start with the latest on one of the issues upon which the candidates are being judged, how they would handle the war in Ukraine.
A new player has entered the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the region.
Recently, North Korea sent soldiers to Ukraine. According to South Korean intelligence, they estimate the number of North Korean troops inside Russia
is 13,000. The initial U.S. estimate earlier this month was just 3,000.
Western intelligence officials say some of these troops are already in combat zones with more expected to join soon and many receiving a crash
course in basic Russian military commands.
North Korea is often called a hermit kingdom. The country`s leadership keeps its citizens isolated from the rest of the world with strict control
on all information and basic necessities.
The Russia-North Korea friendship goes way back to the Cold War days, when the Soviet Union helped establish North Korea. Now, with both countries
facing international sanctions and isolation since Russia`s invasion of Ukraine, they`ve become even closer allies, it appears.
Russia gets military supplies and soldiers, while North Korea gets technology, food, and other goods. North Korea`s military hasn`t fought in
an active war since the 1950s, so why would Russia want their help?
Well, experts say it shows Russia is facing serious challenges in maintaining its military strength. Soldiers are being sent to the Kursk
region, where Ukrainian troops have held territory since August. But it`s not just about sending soldiers.
North Korea has already shipped about two million artillery rounds to Russia since last year. And the whole operation is being kept under wraps.
Even the families of North Korean soldiers back home were told they`re just participating in military exercises.
The U.S. and its allies aren`t taking this lightly. They are watching closely and have even encouraged China to intervene. More on this now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, South Korea`s spy agency just revealed some striking details about North Korean troops in
Russia. They are training to fight in the war against Ukraine, and that is according to NATO, the United States, and South Korea. But lawmakers who
were briefed by South Korea`s National Intelligence Service here in Seoul say that North Korea may be trying to hide from its own people that these
deployments to Russia are actually happening.
So, let`s take you through what we know. We have two lawmakers briefed by South Korea`s spy agency, the NIS. And the NIS says that North Korean
families of these soldiers are being told the troops went to a, quote, "military exercise," not to Russia, not to Ukraine.
The lawmakers add news of these troops going to Russia has spread within North Korea despite the regime`s effort to contain the truth. And they say
there is some, quote, "unrest" among North Korean residents and soldiers about why they`re making this sacrifice for another country. That certainly
would be remarkable considering North Korea tolerates virtually no dissent against the regime of Kim Jong Un. We also heard from South Korea`s
president on this subject today. Listen to what he said.
YOOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a significant
security threat to the international community and could pose a serious risk to our national security.
VALERIO: So what he means by that, North Korean troops potentially threatening South Korean security. Analysts tell us that North Korean
troops could potentially come back home with more knowledge about modern warfare than ever before.
The secretary General of NATO has also said that North Korean troops are already in Russia`s Kursk region. That is where Ukraine has had a foothold
in Russian territory since August. The Pentagon is also saying that it assesses there are about 10,000 North Korean troops who have been deployed
to train in Russia. Pyongyang and Moscow have neither explicitly confirmed nor denied these troop deployments.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Pop quiz, hot shot.
What was the most popular Halloween candy in 2024, according to candystore.com? Hershey Kisses, M&M`S, Reese`s Peanut Butter Cups or Candy
Corn?
If you said M&M`S, you are correct. Did you know that M&M`S were exclusively sold to the military, enabling the heat-resistant and easy-to-
transport chocolate to be included in American soldiers` rations during World War II?
Let`s take a look at Halloween by the numbers. First, spending, about 72% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween today, and from pumpkins to candy,
costumes, decorations and parties, folks are set to spend a jaw-dropping $11.6 billion. That`s nearly the entire estimated value of the Yankees and
Dodgers, the teams in this year`s World Series, combined.
Here`s how that $11.6 billion in Halloween spending breaks down. $3.8 billion on costumes and on decorations, $3.5 billion on candy and half a
billion dollars on greeting cards.
On average, these numbers break down to a little more than $103 per person in Halloween spending this year. 37% of the spending happens at discount
stores, 33% at Halloween specialty stores, and another 33% comes from online orders. And that $11.6 billion in Halloween spending this year is
actually down slightly from the $12.2 billion in 2023.
How about this year`s most popular costumes? For kids, it`s ghosts, witches, princesses, and superheroes. The adults? Well, they`re going with
witches as this year`s most popular costume, along with vampires, cats, pirates, and Batman.
Hit me up @coyware on social. Let me know what you`re rolling with this year. And on social, that is where you will see, what I was told to be by
my daughters this year.
Today, CNN will introduce its five finalists for CNN Hero of the Year, which celebrates everyday people making extraordinary impacts in their
communities. We`ll introduce them to you on tomorrow`s show.
Now, last year`s winner was veterinarian Dr. Kwane Stewart, who founded Project Street Pet, an innovative program providing free pet food and
veterinary care to animals belonging to people experiencing homelessness. Dr. Stewart`s initiative has created a ripple effect of positive change for
pets and their human companions in need.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. KWANE STEWART, 2023 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: The dog food pantry, which I launched here in Los Angeles, in Skid Row, is taken off. It`s been getting
low fairly quickly, so it tells me there`s a lot of pets that are getting what they need. Anyone who lives in this area can come through when they
want and take as much dog food as they need to care for their pet. We keep cat food down here too. We`ve given somewhere in the neighborhood of 800,
900 bags of food.
I wish I could be out of business, out of work. As our homeless crisis gets worse, and it is getting worse, we know that. More people are on the
streets, have a pet.
He`s a nice dog, huh? How old are you?
When I`m able to care for these pets, keep them healthy, and keep them with their owner, their owner stands a better chance of themselves getting off
the streets. Their pet companion is instrumental in that.
Hector, how you doing, man?
Some stories on the streets, the people I meet, the dogs I help, we will see months later, a year later, and the change, the reform. It`s pretty
magical.
Hey, baby. Like Rain, Rain was a little tiny runt with crooked legs.
GENESIS RENDON, VET TECH FOR THE STREET VET: We noticed her, she had muscle atrophy.
STEWART: We didn`t know how big she was going to grow and what kind of deformities, if any, she would have.
RENDON: I had to keep her warm so that she wouldn`t lose more muscle from shaking, and then her bones started growing faster than her muscles.
STEWART: Genesis, she took Rain.
RENDON: She`s so big and very smart. All the physical therapy we did on her worked out just great.
STEWART: Oh, good boy. Oh, you do have a little thing there.
It`s estimated that we`ve seen upwards 2,000 animals, and last year was our biggest year to date, so we`re just going to improve on that.
She also has some flea issues, but she`s healthy. She looks good.
Really, the sky`s the limit. I`m just taking one week, one month at a time.
I`ll see you, man. All right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story, getting a 10 out of 10, a bear with a sneaky plan for a trash can. Let`s go to Saraland, Alabama, where a man named Bryce Hoven
could barely believe his eyes when he saw a ninja-like black bear sneaking and sniffing its way into his garage to make an esoteric getaway with his
trash can. The bear stands up, grabs the can by its handles, starts gingerly walking it back out of the garage.
Oh, honey, check it out, kind of peeking around, seemingly trying not to bump into anything or maybe making sure no one`s around.
Mr. Hoven said the bear dragged the can right out of the carport, dumped it over, picked out what it wanted to eat, then made its escape, pulling off
the entire heist while barefoot.
All right, it`s time for me to make my getaway now, but before I do, I want to give a big old Halloween shout out to some of our viewers in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Mojave High School, we see you. Thank you for making us part of your day right here on CNN 10.
Have an awesome time trick-or-treating tonight. Please stay safe, be smart, have a whole bunch of fun and candy.
END
