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North Korea Failed in Medium Range Missile Launch; Iraqi Forces Launch All Out Offensive to Retake Fallujah; Sanders Interrupted by Protesters in Oakland; Brazilian Teen Raped in Rio Sharing Her Story; Doctors Calling on Rio Olympics to be Postponed or Moved; Al Shabaab's Attack on Kenyan Military. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 31, 2016 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[00:00:11] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. A failed test. It appears North Korea attempted another missile launch, but to no avail. A Kenyan military defeat shrouded in secrecy. A special report on a disastrous attack on al-Shabbat militants that only the families of those killed will talk about. Plus, political chaos, corruption, a spike in crime, diseased water and yes, the Zika virus. Why some people are convinced an Olympic- size curse hangs over Brazil and the Rio games.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world; I'm Isha Sesay. Newsroom L.A. starts right now.

A South Korean military official says North Korea has apparently failed in an attempt to launch what appears to have been a medium range missile. This is just the latest in a string of missile tests as Pyongyang tries to advance its weapons program. In April they tried three times to launch missiles and failed with all three.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now with more from Seoul, South Korea. Paula, good to have you with us. What more are we learning?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: Well, Isha, as far as the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff are concerned, they're called this an unidentified missile. Now local media is assuming that that means it is a Musudan, but it is a medium-range missile but we don't know for sure at this point; the officials saying that they are looking into it.

Of course, as they are saying this missile failed, it's far more difficult to be able to pinpoint exactly what kind of missile it was, if it didn't do what it was supposed to have done. But if it is, in fact, one of these mid-range missiles, as you say, North Korea has tried this three times last month. All three of them failed. So certainly, this appears to be something that they want to nail down at this point. This would be a military victory for them if they could manage to launch a mid-range missile. But, of course, at this point, it shows that their capability is lacking in this respect. T

Now his happened in the early hours of this morning. What it does do is it shows quiet we had on the Korean Peninsula over the past few weeks appears to have come to an end. Isha?

SESAY: That being said, is there anything to be made of the timing of this test?

HANCOCKS: Well that's the thing, so little is known of North Korea. We always try and figure out if timing is significant. It's difficult to say that it could be at this point. North Korea wants to have this capability. It wants the Musudan missile to work. It's very clear the previous attempts, one was done on the birthday of Kim Il-Sun, a very important date. So certainly that was a very large embarrassment for the country. They tried two more times on the same day, desperate to get this right and were unable to.

So I think just the fact that also they have tried to talk to South Korea. Pyongyang has said to Seoul, let's start military talks once again. Seoul has rejected that though, saying clearly it's not a genuine offer, and they say if Pyongyang is not going to consider or even talk about denuclearization there's no point talking. Isha?

SESAY: Paula Hancocks joining us there from Seoul, South Korea. Still a few more details to emerge about all of this, especially as to the type of missile. Paula, appreciate it; thank you.

From the ground and from the air, Iraqi forces have launched an all- out offensive to take back the ISIS stronghold of Fallujah. They are trying to push their way into the heart of the city after capturing a handful of villages and towns on its outskirts. Backing them, coalition warplanes.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr reports the battle for Fallujah may become one of the biggest yet against ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: ISIS under heavy pressure on multiple battle fronts in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. Special Operations Forces helping local troops inching closer to the front lines.

The Iraqi military announcing it is beginning the battle to clear Fallujah, attempting to take back the important city just 40 miles West of Baghdad.

ISIS tunnels already discovered nearby, a sign of the tough fight to come. The U.S. providing air strikes and watching the Iraqi forces closely.

COL. STEVEN WARREN, SPOKESMAN, ANTI-ISIS COALITION: We're seeing everything from Iraqi security forces, the regular army, to the police to even their elite counterterror service, all participating in this action.

STARR: Less discussed, but also involved in the Fallujah fight, Iran and the Shi'a militias it backs, joining the fight to knock ISIS from the city, [00:05:01] raising concerns as they move against the heavily Sunni populated area, it could all lead to more sectarian violence.

To the north, a Kurdish offensive under way around Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. An attempt to squeeze ISIS and force it to fight in multiple locations.

GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: We do recognize the value of simultaneity when we go after this enemy right here, and when we present them with multiple dilemmas, then we generally see more successful outcome.

STARR: And across the border, U.S. Special Forces are accompanying and advising Syrian rebel forces fighting on the doorstep of ISIS' self-declared capital in Raqqah.

During a recent visit to Iraq and Syria, General Joe Votel said he is always looking at what more the U.S. can offer.

VOTEL: As the conditions continue to change, as we continue to move into new phases of the overall operation, we will continue to reevaluate that and where we identify the need for additional capabilities, we will ask for them.

STARR: U.S. Special Forces on full display in Tampa, Florida, over the weekend during an exercise drill that showed why these elite forces are now constantly called to action.

U.S. officials do point to some measures of success; for example, they estimate inside Syria, ISIS has lost 20-percent of the territory it once held; but nobody is counting ISIS down and out just yet. Military commanders say there's still a very long way to go.

Barbara Starr, CNN, The Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: CNN Military Analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona joins us now. Colonel Francona, good to have you with us once again. To date, has this operation to retake Fallujah unfolded the way you would expect?

COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, I think it has. The Iraqis have learned, when they went up to Tikrit, they were still figuring out how to do this. When they went to Ramadi, they refined it even more. They seem to have gotten their act together. They did what they are supposed to do. The first phase was to encircle the town. They finished that in short order. They took the towns that surround the city. They are moving closer and now they are in a third phase. They have actually entered the city.

This will be -- this will not be without cost. Fallujah will pay a price and that price is going to be in civilian casualties and it's going to be in the civilian infrastructure. We saw this in are a Ramadi. We saw this in Tikrit. Unfortunately, there's just no way around this.

ISIS is a very formidable enemy. They have had two years to prepare the battlefield for a fight they know was coming. There will be IEDS, booby-trap, mine fields, snipers. So it's going to be very, very difficult; but the Iraqis will do this because they've allocated the resources to do it. I think the outcome is pretty much assured. It's what is the cost going to be on either side.

SESAY: Yes, and to that point, as we talk about the civilians, tens of thousands trapped there in Fallujah by most estimates. The fear is that they are facing a humanitarian crisis and that ISIS will use them as human shields. What is the right way for these Iraqi forces and Shi'a militias to proceed knowing that?

FRANCONA: I think they are doing what they have to do. They are go very cautiously. They are using a lot of artillery, and that is causing a lot of civilian casualties. We're seeing reports of a lot of building

collapses and people being trapped in the rubble. Unfortunately, the fact that ISIS is keeping people there against their will, there's no way for them to escape. Many of them are being executed if they refuse to fight.

We've seen this before and, unfortunately, that's just the nature of this kind of warfare. So, I think the Iraqis are doing what they have to do. I think the Iraqis are being very smart in keeping the Shi'a militia out of the forefront here, although they are being used. They've been given instructions when they go into these towns, they have to respect the Sunni population. What we don't need is a flare- up of sectarian violence.

Fallujah is a special case, because this is where the staging area for all of these recent attacks on Baghdad have been coming from. We saw more attacks today, as ISIS strikes out when they're challenged.

SESAY: Yes, indeed. To go back to the point about the Shi'a militias, are you confident that should these local populations escape ISIS and basically run into the Shi'a militia they won't become the victims of retaliation?

FRANCONA: You know, that's the question, and one would hope so. One would think that the Iraqi leadership knows this is a problem and are exercising the discipline required. But, you know, when you get into the heat of battle and there's tensions and a lot of emotion, that can go haywire very quickly. So we're hoping that the Iraqi military will keep tabs on these Shi'a militias, get in there, take the city back, get rid of ISIS and then they can focus on where we need to be fighting, and that's in the north, up the Tigris Valley to Mosul.

[00:10:02] SESAY: Okay. What will taking Fallujah mean for that operation up the Tigris River?

FRANCONA: It really just cuts off some of the ISIS fighters that could escape and go up there to assist, but for Iraqi government, and there's been a decision between the Americans and the Iraqis on do we need to take Fallujah or we just need to contain it and push all of our efforts up the Tigris Valley.

The Iraqi government has got to secure Baghdad and the Shi'a suburbs from this wave of ISIS violence and they figured they needed to clean Anbar Province out, get rid of the ISIS people in Fallujah and that would somehow - that would better secure Baghdad and allow popular support. Remember, Shi'a population of Baghdad is more concerned with their own security than the eventual liberation of Mosul.

SESAY: All right; Colonel Francona it's always good to have you on the program. Thanks so much for the perspective.

FRANCONA: Good to be with you, Isha.

SESAY: Let's talk U.S. politics now, shall we? Well, U.S. Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders was interrupted during a rally in Oakland, California, when four protesters rushed the stage yelling. Secret Service agents jumped into action, grabbing Sanders and pushing him away from the microphone. Meanwhile, other agents caught the demonstrators and led them away. The Vermont Senator has been under Secret Service protection since early February.

Well, a prominent anti-Trump Republican says Donald Trump will have some new competition in the race for the White House. Journalist Bill Kristol tweeted that "an impressive independent candidate is forthcoming with a real chance to win." Kristol has made previous attempts to recruit a third-party candidate but some big name republicans have said they're just not interested. Still, many Americans aren't happy with either Trump or Hillary Clinton; and a recent poll found 44-percent say they want a third-party choice.

Trump fired back at Kristol's announcement calling him an embarrassed loser and a dummy. Meanwhile, the billionaire says he will release information Tuesday on the $6 million he says he raised for veterans' causes.

A Brazilian teenager who says she was brutally raped in a Rio de Janeiro slum is telling the world what happened to her. The case has sparked outrage across the country after video of the attack was posted online. Shasta Darlington reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A case that caused shock in a country accustomed to a relatively high level of violence. Now the 16-year-old victim is speaking out in an interview with CNN affiliate TV Record, she says she's afraid justice will never be done.

RAPE VICTIM, via translator: if I have to wait for the justice system, they have shown me that nothing is going to happen. I am waiting for the justice of god, that might be late but never fails.

DARLINGTON: This all started last week when a 38-second video emerged on the internet purportedly posted by one of the suspects. It shows the victim naked and unconscious. You can hear men's voices in the background, bragging about how more than 30 people have had sexual intercourse with her. In the interview, she also spoke about that experience.

VICTIM: I fell asleep and woke up in a completely different place, with a man under me, one on top of me and two holdings me down on my hands. Many people laughing at me and I was drugged, out of it. Many people with guns, boys laughing and talking. DARLINGTON: Over the weekend, there were numerous protests across the country. Here in Rio de Janeiro, a city that's going to be receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors for the Olympic games in just two months' time, protesters took to the beach. They hung up laundry lines with clothes painted red, under garments painted red. In Brasilia, hundreds of protesters carrying flowers were held back with pepper spray as they tried to storm a part of the supreme court.

Police, on Monday, launched a new raid in the western favela here in Rio where the incident took place. They have six arrest warrants and orders from the interim president on down to try and capture the suspects and quell the protests.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Time for a quick break now. Brazil is facing a number of crises as it heads for the upcoming Olympics. We will explain why some people think the Rio games are cursed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (WEATHER HEADLINES)

[00:18:41] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Brazil is wrestling with a wide range of problems ahead of the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There's a high level political corruption scandal, a failing economy, a fierce war on drugs and the outbreak of the Zika virus. Many people are wondering whether the 2016 Games are cursed. Our Ivan Watson went in search of an answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's hard not to be seduced by Rio de Janeiro. This spectacular city, soon to be the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Two months before the start of the games, construction crews are putting in the final touches at the Olympic venues.

GUSTAVO NASCIMENTO, HEAD, OLYMPIC VENUE MANAGEMENT: Everything is going to be ready on time. We're going to deliver the park fully commissioned the 24th of July.

WATSON: But despite Rio's beauty, the city, and Brazil as a whole, are facing some pretty daunting challenges. A whole series of unexpected setbacks leaving some to wonder, are Rio's Olympics somehow cursed?

Just days ago, a warning from more than 100 international doctors calling for the games to be postponed or moved because the mosquito- borne Zika virus could threaten an expected half a million foreign visitors. That view rejected by the World Health Organization, which does advise pregnant women [00:20:00] to avoid the Olympics entirely because of the risk of severe deformities to unborn children.

Then there's the political and economic crisis; turmoil after congress suspended Brazil's elected president in an impeachment process last month and high level corruption scandals. During the worst economic recession in generations, which has left more than 10 million Brazilians unemployed.

The economic hardship aggravating Rio's endemic problems with violent crime, daily gun battles between police and drug gangs in the city's impoverished favelas, as well as a surge in robberies. This month, members of the Spanish Olympic sailing team mugged at gun point.

FERNANDO ECHAVARRI, SAILOR, BRAZILIAN SAILING TEAM: We just turn around to see what was happening, and we saw the pistols, like this.

WATSON: Olympic sailors worried about Rio's notoriously polluted bay, a dumping ground for much of the city's raw sewage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want to swim in it.

WATSON: Rio's mayor warns this isn't a first world city.

EDUARDO PAES, MAYOR, RIO DE JANEIRO: Don't come here expecting everything will be perfect. We live in a country that has economic crisis, a country with lots of inequality. With all of the problems we have seen, concerning corruption, bribes, but the city will be better than it was when we got the games.

WATSON: But even one of the mayor's new infrastructure projects is now a deadly failure. This brand-new spectacular cliff-side bike path was supposed to be a showcase project for the Olympics. Instead, it became a tragic setback when the waves took out part of the trail, killing two people last month.

In the turbulent run-up to the Olympics, a virtual storm of bad news that leaves you happen what could possibly happen next.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Joining me to discuss the Rio Olympics and the accompanying issues is David Wolachinski, President of the International Society of Olympic Historians. David, great to have you with us once again.

As you know, more than 100 public health experts have signed this open letter, calling for the games to be postponed or moved due to concerns about the Zika virus. Their call has been rejected by the IOC, and you don't believe Zika will actually be an issue during these games. Explain why.

DAVID WOLACHINSKI, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF OLYMPIC HISTORIANS, via satellite: I don't think that we'll be aware of it during the games. I think that the threat -- I read that letter very closely from the different health experts and what they are afraid of is that somebody will get -- contract the Zika virus and go home and then it will spread from there. So that if this really does happen, and I suppose it's a legitimate concern, we won't really know about did for months afterwards. So I think that once the games are going on, you are not going to really hear about Zika that much.

SESAY: Are you afraid? Are you concerned about going?

WOLACHINSKI: No. My concern about being in Rio is completely different. I'm worried about the infrastructure. When I saw the story of the bike path being knocked down by a wave and two people being killed, I knew that that was because they had rushed to complete this bike path. They had not properly inspected it. So it made me wonder what about the transportation system, what about the venues? Were they done in this very careless way? That's more of a concern to me.

SESAY: As you list it out, a bike path that partially collapsed, the bay where the sailing will take place, terribly polluted. I mean, some will be questioning the stewardship of the IOC here, and see this as an indictment of the handling of this. How do you see it?

WOLACHINSKI: I'm sure it's very frustrating for the IOC because they tried to keep a tight rein on the Brazilian organizers and yet there was a lot of corruption, a lot of incompetence. They still haven't finished the

velodrome. There was some concern expressed by the tennis federation, that they hadn't really completely completed the whole venue. I think this has been very frustrating for the IOC.

The problem is, you have seven - once you are given the Olympics, you have seven years to get ready. When it gets down to two to three months, all the International Olympic Committee, the IOC, can do is express frustration. What else can they do it? They can't change it at the last minute.

SESAY: But, David, I'm going to ask you this bluntly; I mean, is this really all about money? Is that that essentially the biggest obstacle to postponing or moving it? Is this about dollars and cents?

[00:25:01] WOLACHINSKI: I think it's partially about dollars and cents and I think it's also -- medical people that I've talked to feel that this is a bit overblown; but again, yeah, I think it does come down, in the end, to dollars and cents more than anything else.

SESAY: All right; and last question. You know, perspective is key. Do you remember an Olympics that was as beset by so many problems all at once, at this stage in the process?

WOLACHINSKI: The closest you come was the 2004 Olympics in Athens where they didn't really complete all the venues and everything in time. I remember running up the stairs at one venue for water polo and feeling the steps crumble under my feet, which was unnerving.

Here you also have an even greater problem, which is that the political situation in Brazil is in complete chaos, so you can't even - if you're the organizing committee, you can't turn to the government and say, could you please give us extra money so we can fix everything? What government is that?

SESAY: David, it's always a pleasure to speak to you. Thank you so much.

WOLACHINSKI: Okay. Thank you.

SESAY: Really does feel like the perfect storm. Time for a quick break. A brazen attack on Kenya's military has largely been kept a secret until now. We have an exclusive report on what may be one of the country's bloodiest defeats ever.

Plus, a landmark ruling in Africa. A former dictator brought to justice for years of horrific war crimes. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: You are watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay; the headlines this hour:

[00:30:03] A South Korean military official says North Korea has apparently failed in an attempt to launch a missile. Local media reports suggest it was a medium range missile. This is the latest launch attempt by North Korea in recent weeks. In April, they tried three times to launch missiles and failed with all three.

Iraqi forces are in an all-out assault to take back the city of Fallujah from ISIS. Iraqi soldiers and militia are trying to storm their way into the city center after seizing a handful of small towns and villages on Fallujah's outskirts. The U.S. led coalition is providing air support.

Well, protesters interrupted Bernie Sanders when they rushed the stage during a rally in Oakland, California. Secret Service Agents moved to protect the Democratic Presidential Candidate, him while other agents led the demonstrators away. Sanders was not hurt.

Now, a Kenyan military defeat has largely been shrouded in secrecy until now. Al-Shabbat terrorists launched a bold attack on a Kenyan base in Somalia back in January, but Kenya's government kept it quiet. Now the world is finally starting to see just how deadly that attack was. Robyn Kriel has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was telling us this is not my home.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: The photos he sent home told his family he was brave, but in his personal life, Corporal James Saitoti Kuronoi didn't like conflict.

JACKQUELINE KURONOI, SISTER, JAMES SAITOTI KURONOI: He was always joking. He had a permanent smile.

KRIEL: His job was to drive tanks out of the El-Adde base in southern Somalia. His pictures showed what he called his new home.

KURONOI: And I don't know even the family, I feel it that the (inaudible)

KRIEL: On January 15, Kuronoi's camp was attacked by al-Shabbat militants. His family didn't hear from him again.

Kenya's defense force brought four caskets home with full military honors, but Kuronoi was not among them. The Somali government says there were an estimated 200 Kenyan soldiers at the base the day of the attack, but the Kenyan government has released no details of what happened; no official death toll.

But four months after the attack, a picture is emerging of heavy losses, as body after body is quietly released for burial across the country. Kenyan media documented at least 30 funerals.

The terror group al-Shabbat posted this propaganda video showing the attack and the brutal way wounded and surrendering Kenyan soldiers were simply shot dead. Al-Shabbat claims more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, at least 50 Kenyan casualties can be counted in the video.

But the death toll may be even higher than that claimed by al-Shabbat. Two officials familiar with the recovery operations have told CNN that the Kenyan death toll from that day is at least 141, making this attack the bloodiest defeat for the Kenyan military since independence.

The Kenyan defense force would not respond to repeated CNN requests for comment. One blogger who posted photos and information about the El-Adde attack was arrested under a rarely enforced National Security Law, but was later released by the Kenyan Government without charge.

PETER PHUM, DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S AFRICA CENTER: Although they cite national security reasons, in fact, what they end up doing is creating an opportunity for Shabbat in many cases, to propagandize their victories, perhaps exaggerate them, but there's no way of countering that narrative because there's no real narrative coming from the government.

KRIEL: After seven DNA tests, James Saitoti Kuronoi was finally identified. A tree, like this one, will be planted near his grave site, but James' sister still has many questions.

KURONOI: We would like to know who are these people that tied together? Or, how many were they? It's a question to live in our mind forever because even if you got your body, (inaudible) how many were they? How many were they they just killed? How many were they, in child? You don't know.

KRIEL: For now the story of the Kenyan soldiers who fought and bled that day is being told not bit country they died serving but only by the families of the dead and the terrorist group they swore to fight.

Robyn Kriel, CNN, Narok, Kenya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, the former dictator of Chad has been sentenced to life in prison, and human rights groups hope it sets a precedence. (Inaudible) Sentinel found Hissene Habre guilty of crimes against humanity Monday. He is the first former African leader to be convicted on the continent. Habre was [00:35:01] accused of ordering the torture or murder of thousands of political opponents during his rule in the 1980s.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIBERATO GUSTAVO KAM, President, EXTRAORDINARY AFRICAN CHAMBERS, via translator: Hissene Habre, the court condemns you to life in prison. Hissene Habre, the court is informing you that you have 15 days from announcement of this judgment to appeal the decision in accordance with the criminal procedure code.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, some victims were present at the court and cheered the verdict. Habre he declined to speak on his own behalf, claiming the court has no authority over him.

A quick break now. The Golden State Warriors are going back to the NBA finals. We'll have the highlights from Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals on CNN "World Sport." And, e-sports is big business and in South Korea gamers are a new kind of celebrity. Just ahead, the (inaudible) of this emerging phenomenon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Hello, everyone. Competitive e-gaming, once considered a hobby for teenagers, is a booming international business. In South Korea, the sport has become a national part time and it's the star gamers are huge celebrities. E-sports tournaments draw large crowds and are broadcast live on prime time television.

Let's bring back Paula Hancocks now for more on all of this. She joins us now from Seoul, South Korea. Paula, pro gaming has brought fame and fortune to some of e-sports' biggest names?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: That's right, yes. Pro gaming is cool in South Korea. There are millions of people who watch it on television. The top players in this country are really treated like celebrities, treated similar way you would expect the k- pop stars to be treated. They get immense attention and it is completely mainstream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Mobbed at the airport, a sporting legend meets his fans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.

HANCOCKS: This is Faker, a 20-year-old world champion, known as the god of "League of Legends," one of the most popular video games around the world.

LEE SANG-HYEOK, "FAKER", PRO-GAMER: I never dreamed of becoming a pro gamer, so I never imagined becoming world champion; but I do like the attention and respect I get from so many people. HANCOCKS: He certainly does get attention. In South Korea he is a

super star. Tickets to watch him play live are coveted, fans excited just to get close to the legend himself.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: I like Faker because he makes so many surprising moves says this man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This woman says, I like his sometimes tough and reckless behavior during the game.

[00:40:01] HANCOCKS: You know, one of the things that strikes me as soon as I walked in here was there's an awful lot of women in the audience. Video gaming here in South Korea is not just for the men.

These people here in the audience, they are the lucky ones. They are able to see this in person. I'm told that as soon as the tickets go online, on sale, they sell out within a matter of minutes.

For those not lucky enough to be here in person, full coverage, plus commentary, Korean or English, is available at the touch of a button. Two cable channels are dedicated entirely to e-sports. One of them is available in 17 countries, and that's not even taking into account the live stream channels online.

one place you would not expect a video game champion to be, throwing the first pitch at a baseball game. Not his natural habitat, but it does show how big a celebrity Faker is here. What about questions as to whether e-sports is a real sport?

HYEOK: I think online games are very similar to sports, in the way people enjoy it together and there are competitions. Winning is similar to winning a sports game, except it's a feeling in the brain instead of something physical like soccer.

HANCOCKS: Since his debut three years ago, Faker has played with SK Telecom, rejecting lucrative offers from Chinese teams and enjoying many nicknames, not only god but the Leon Massey or Michael Jordan of his game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCK: There's one more worrying aspect of video gaming here in South Korea though; the increasing number of people becoming addicted to online gaming. There are the internet cafes, so-called PC Bangs, everywhere in South Korea. The government has recognized this is a problem. They are trying to pass laws to restrict under 16's playing at certain times during the night and they are also setting up addiction centers around the country. Isha?

SESAY: Wow. It's totally fascinating and interesting to figure out why it is so popular in South Korea. Paula, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

And thank you for watching "CNN Newsroom," live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. "World Sport" with Patrick Snell is up next. Patrick, what a big Game Seven in the NBA. PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Isha, so much at stake. A

place in the NBA finals and for defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, the chance to complete the most impressive of comebacks. Did they do it? Now that would be telling. You can find out in a few moments. A "World Sport" update coming your way; stay with CNN.

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