Return to Transcripts main page
NEWS STREAM
World Headlines; Hurricane Relief Efforts Slow in Puerto Rico; A Growing Call For Nuclear Arsenal in South Korea; New Zealand Gets Youngest Ever Female PM; Giant Robots Brawl in Epic Showdown. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired October 19, 2017 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Raqqa in ruins. We got inside the Syrian city after ISIS was driven from the place that once called its capital. China hits back after
the U.S. secretary of states accuses Beijing of subverting the global order.
And how do you solve the North Korean nuclear crisis? Well, one South Korean law maker says the answer is a nuclear weapon in the south.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: We begin in Syria where people desperate to return to the city of Raqqa are being urged to stay away little longer. And while U.S.-backed
fighters have wrestled the city away from ISIS, there are plenty of mines, explosives and booby-traps that still must be cleared.
Troops are also looking for any ISIS sleeper cells that may remain in the city. Our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon and her crew,
they've made it inside the ISIS stronghold where a massive reconstruction effort will be needed there. She joins us now. And Arwa, you're there
inside Raqqa after it was fallen, describe the scene around.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kristie, it's so eerie to be driving through this city and looking around at the sheer scale of
destruction, you don't see a single civilian here. It is a ghost town. Every single building has been somehow damaged or destroyed in this
fighting.
This particular square behind us, this is one of the main sites where ISIS would carry out its public executions and beheadings, and they would
actually -- time to place the heads of their victims on the spikes.
A chilling reminder and message to anyone walking by, anyone who saw this that that could be their fate as well, should they even try to defy ISIS
rules.
We've been speaking to a number of the commanders here, a number of senior female commanders who are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and they
are saying that in their best estimates, it's going to take three months to try -- to clear this from all of their difference explosives.
This was in any sense is a (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) -- just talking about the air strikes but also it's role part that was happening between ISIS and
SDF. (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) -- and then you have the fighting that has the most difficult of all, that was the fight that was happening underground.
ISIS has a very complex (Inaudible) underneath this city connecting key sites together, these neighborhoods, this square we are exploring is
actually connected to a number of other key sites within the city and this tunnel.
And yet have not been about to go in and fully clear them because they are concern and they do believe that there are very heavily mines that it just
begins to give you an idea of the intensity of the battles here.
And the other issue that everyone is talking about right now is of course, the reconstruction. And it's not just its physical reconstruction of the
city, Kristie. It's also imperative that in that effort to try to prevent ISIS from returning, the social starving of Raqqa be revealed.
LU STOUT: Yes, that is an immense challenge ahead to rebuild on looking at -- I mean, what they have to deal with is just that chilling scene behind
you, widespread devastation that arena of death that you showed us just moments ago.
And you mentioned, Arwa, how women played a key role in the operation to take back Raqqa from ISIS. Could you tell us more how and what does it
take to drive ISIS out of their own stronghold.
OK, unfortunately, I think we just lost that connection there but quite critically and crucially we did get that incredible look in that live
report from our, Damon, just giving us a sense of the scene and really chilling atmosphere there in Raqqa, Syria.
Now we do have that connection. We've established it with, Arwa. Let's bring her back one more time, and Arwa, hopefully, you can hear this time.
I know it's been catching to our connection here.
I wanted to ask you more about that operation to take back Raqqa from ISIS. You said that women played a key role in that. Exactly how do they do it?
[08:05:00] And what does it take to drive ISIS out of its own stronghold?
DAMON: You know, Kristie, ask any of the fighters and they'll tell you it takes a lot of willpower, a lot of heart and a lot of courage for many of
the fighters that we were to, this was also personal, even if they weren't necessarily from Raqqa.
We are talking about the Syrian defense democratic forces here. They are largely made up of Kurdish fighters and these Kurdish fighters do have a
female unit and many of them are from the surrounding areas of northern Syria that are predominantly Kurdish. to
When ISIS came in and women were fleeing from Raqqa, they have fled to these various different Kurdish villages and towns. Some of the fighters
that fled are actually from Raqqa.
And for the women, they take great pride in the fact that they say ISIS was driven out of Raqqa by women because of how brutal they were towards women
and girls.
In fact this square where were at, this is where they would sell female sex place, the Yazidis and what was described as an open air market.
And many of them are also expressing those very same concerns about the need to build Raqqa's social fabric moving forward and it is so difficult
for them because while on one hand, they are yet celebrating the fact that ISIS was largely been driven out. They have lost so many of their fellow
fighters, both male and female at this stage. Kristie.
LU STOUT: There was a cost to pay to reach this result and with the fall of Raqqa, ISIS has lost its own de facto capital. Do we know where the
leaders of ISIS are? Where did they go?
DAMON: Well, most analyst and observers wouldn't agree and say that ISIS top leaders al-Baghdadi, fled Raqqa right before the battle even began. If
we look at the territory that ISIS still controls the front line has now shifted toward Deir Ez-Zor.
You still have ISIS territory in the Euphrates River Valley, the desert along the province over in Iraq and a few isolated pockets here and there.
But the other thing that's important to find out is that well yes, the death of al-Baghdadi and top leadership will most certainly be significant.
That doesn't necessarily mean an end to ISIS. ISIS has lost yes, the capital of its so called caliphate. They were driven out of Mosul but they
still have displayed an ability to inspire and other attacks abroad.
If we will get history, the killing of Osama bin Laden did not mean the end of al-Qaeda. If we will get the history of ISIS in of itself, its previous
incarnations were all declared defeated.
Their leaders killed and yet ISIS managed to grow and thrive. And there is a lot of conversation right now about what needs to be done to prevent ISIS
or something worse from reemerging.
LU STOUT: Yes, even though as you point out, it's the end of the caliphate, still ISIS remains very much a threat all around the world
especially given this ISIS inspired attacks.
And can you tell you us more about the human toll of ISIS in Raqqa. You mentioned a number of people in the military operation involve to pear out
ISIS.
There are many deaths there and latest understanding about the civilian toll of those who died in Raqqa during the occupation under ISIS and also
during that coalition debarment to drive the militants out.
DAMON: Yes, no organization at this stage has specific numbers but if you just walk at the destruction, if you look at one, the bombardment has done,
if look at what the grenade, the fighting have done to this city itself, and ISIS was holding civilians hostage during this entire timeframe.
They we're allowing people to leave and imagine being here in the middle of all of these as a family trying to keep yourself and your children safe,
it's difficult to fully comprehend, the civilians are now being captive and have been for months living in these refugee camps that are outside of
Raqqa.
They are busting at the scene, they barely have adequate humanitarian supplies and aid organizations are warning of an even bigger humanitarian
catastrophe because as I was saying, the fighting has shifted to Deir Ez- Zor.
And international organizations are saying that there, around 10,000 people a day are fleeing the fighting. We have spoken to some civilians and
refugee camp.
I mean, the stories they have make your skin crawl, your hair stand on end, who have endured all of that and they still don't really know when they're
going to able to come back. What they're going to come back to or what their future is going to hold.
[08:10:00] What a lot of aid organizations are saying right now, Kristie, is that it's also critical to do things like get kids back into school.
All they have known for the last five years because remember, Raqqa fell to ISIS well before Mosul has been the ISIS way of life, that violence, that
brutality, that ideology, and there is trauma. There is massive trauma amongst the population and for the violence to end, these cycles need to be
broken.
These children, these people need to be shown something else and that's why it's so important that aid organization, the international community to
commanders are saying, will it come together to provide Raqqa with the funding that needs to actually begin trying to rebuild not just physically
but also socially.
LU STOUT: Absolutely, now is the time for healing, for rebuilding, rejuvenation in this community there, that behind is turned into a
wasteland because of years of open conflict and being held by ISIS. Arwa Damon, we thank you so much for your reporting. Arwa Damon reporting live
for us from Raqqa.
Now tensions are running high in Kirkuk with Iraq's prime minister banning all armed groups in Kirkuk except for government security forces. They
drove out Peshmerga fighters early this week and they took control of the city from the Kurds.
Iraq is working fast to take control of Kirkuk's oil fields. The region has 40 percent of Iraq's proven oil reserves. And Ben Wedeman was just in
Kirkuk. He filed this report a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They return in the morning car after car of Kirkuk residents who fled the city when central government forces and
paramilitary seize to control earlier this week.
Zirwan (ph), a car mechanic, says it's safe to go back home now. The situation is good, he insists. There's nothing wrong. Units of the Iraqi
army, the federal police and the Iranian-backed popular mobilization units have deployed around the city replacing Kurdish forces who pulled out
suddenly Monday morning.
Among shoppers beneath Kirkuk's ancient citadel relief the change was swift and albeit by Iraqi standards relatively peaceful. I was scared, Sanaa
(ph) tells me, we were afraid to step outside but nothing happened, thank God.
(Inaudible), a Kurdish veteran of the Iran-Iraq war looks on the bright side. We're all Iraqis, he says. There's no difference between Arabs and
Kurds.
But all is not well here. Five-minute drive away and the tune is very different. People are afraid, says Iwa (Ph), a construction worker. He
says he's leave if he had the money.
Some parts of the city look almost normal. Others like this usually busy market is pretty much dead. For few years Iraqis put their differences
behind them and focus on the fight against ISIS. But now that ISIS has almost been defeated, those old differences are starting to resurface.
By early afternoon suddenly the roads were once more jammed with people fleeing the city. Rumors spreading that Kurdish officials were being
rounded up, the clashes were about to erupt.
People are afraid of war, says this man. And with the fear anger at the U.S. which supported the Kurds in their war against ISIS but turned its
back on their desire for a state of their own.
The United States bears responsibility for what is happening in Kirkuk, Ahmed tells me, as one conflict comes to an end, another looms large.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: That was CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting from Erbil. Now turning now to a sharp exchange of words between the U.S. and China, Beijing is
called Washington to abandon its prejudices while on criticism from the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Now on a speech he made on Wednesday, the top U.S. diplomat accused China of subverting the global order. They said while both China and India have
risen on the world stage, China has done so less responsibly. Now Tillerson also criticized what he called Beijing's provocative actions in
the South China Sea.
This comes during a major Communist Party meeting in China. Members are gathered for that pivotal Congress that we'll see a new generation of
leaders being chosen. Matt Rivers has more on Tillerson's comments and how Beijing is responding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Also large criticism from the Secretary of State about China when speaking to a Washington D.C. based think tank. The
secretary of state accused China of sometimes undermining the international rules-based order.
[08:15:00] And he gave a couple of different examples to back up his claim there. One of the first things he talked about was the South China Sea and
China's continued island building in that part of the world, its military expansion there.
Which the secretary of state had encroaches on the sovereignty of other countries in that part of the world and the other this he mentioned was
what he called China's predatory lending, giving loans to developing countries for things like infrastructure projects.
The secretary of state said that those kind of loans actually leave those developing countries saddled with debt and that's of course a problem in
his eyes. Now as for these individual claims, we've heard the criticisms about the South China Sea from this administration before.
That's not really new in and of itself and frankly, it's a view that shared by many other countries around the world. But when it comes to what he
called this -- this predatory lending, that is something that we haven't really heard the administration speak publicly about quite often that
clearly is something that the United States is now concerned about and willing to talk about and willing to have China here, its concerns on that.
And China's end for its part, it didn't really take the bait in a regularly scheduled press briefing, a spokesperson gave a relatively muted response
to these criticisms. Let's hear what he had to say.
LU KANG, SPOKESMAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY (through a translator): We hope the U.S. will objectively view the development of China and its global
role, abandon its prejudices on China and work with us to focus on cooperation. Properly handling disputes and maintaining the momentum of
stable growth in China-U.S. ties.
RIVERS: And the timing of the secretary of state's remarks is very interesting given what's going on here in China right now. The 19th Party
Congress which is a gathering of the country's political elites, it takes place every five years is ongoing right now.
And it's where President Xi Jinping is trying to cement his status as China's most powerful leader in decades. And also keep in mind in just
three weeks from now, the U.S. President Donald Trump will be making his first state visit here to China for a couple days of meetings here in
Beijing.
How these latest remarks from the secretary of state will play into, what is very high-stakes diplomacy when the president makes his visit here is
the topic that we're going to be watching very closely. Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: The U.S. secretary of state also spoke of the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Myanmar. Rex Tillerson says the U.S. will not
stay silent and the military leadership of Myanmar will be held accountable.
More than half a million Rohingya have fled violence in Rakhine State since late August, that is an average of nearly 20,000 a day, all trying to cross
into neighboring Bangladesh.
Washington accuses the Myanmar military of attacking the ethnic minority group. Myanmar's government insists it is only cracking down on
terrorists.
And meanwhile the U.S. president is engage in a bitter war of words involving a gold star family. Now the spiraling drama centers on what
exactly Donald Trump said while trying to console the widow of a fallen soldier. Joe Johns has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't say what that congresswoman said. I didn't say it at all.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump defending his conversation with the widow of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson.
TRUMP: I had a very nice conversation with the woman, with the wife who sounded like a lovely woman.
JOHNS: Insisting Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson fabricated her account of what he said and vowed he has proof.
REP. FREDERICA WILSON, (D) FLORIDA: I did hear him say, I am sure he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts. She was crying. She broke
down, and she said, he didn't even know his name.
JOHNS: Wilson standing firm with Sergeant Johnson's grieving mother, backing the story, telling the Washington Post that the president
disrespected her son.
The White House press secretary admitting the president did not record the call and stopping short of denying the president's words, but said the
Chief of Staff, John Kelly, was with the president when he called the widow.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He thought that the president did the best job he could under those circumstances to offer
condolences on behalf of the country.
JOHNS: Sanders then said Kelly is disgusted by the way the media politicized the deaths, but it was President Trump who falsely claimed
President Obama did not call the families of fallen soldiers and then used the death of his chief of staff's son to try to bolster the argument.
JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Mr. Trump has his own way of dealing with things that I see as inconsistent with what some of his predecessors
have done and how they treated it.
JOHNS: Multiple White House officials tell CNN that Kelly did tell Mr. Trump, President Obama never called him after his son died.
Kelly was caught off guard by the president using that information publicly. The controversy growing after Mr. Trump insisted he called all
of the families of soldiers killed during his presidency.
[08:20:00] TRUMP: My policy is I've called every one of them.
JOHNS: But the widow of Army Sergeant Jonathan Hunter killed in August in Afghanistan says she never heard from the president.
WHITNEY HUNTER, GOLD STAR WIDOW: I don't like that I was told that I would receive a phone call but then I never did. My husband died for our country
and I don't want that to have been in vain.
JOHNS: Other gold star families like the mother of Army Corporal Dillon Baldridge offering a positive account of her call with the president.
TINA PALMER, GOLD STAR MOTHER (via phone): He was, again, very genuine, genuinely thankful for my son and his service. I didn't feel like it was
forced or scripted, or something that he felt like he had to do. It was just like talking to a friend.
JOHNS: The Washington Post reports President Trump offered $25,000 to Baldridge's father after his son was killed in June, but the money never
came. The White House says it mailed the check on Wednesday only after the story was published.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Joe Johns reporting. Now there are still a lot of questions over what happened in that ambush in the Niger two weeks
ago. When know that four U.S. soldiers died and two were wounded. And now the U.S. defense secretary is demanding answers. Barbara Starr has more on
the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are now learning for the first time that a contractor flew an aircraft into the battle zone after the fighting
died down to help evacuate American and Nigerian dead and wounded.
These planes generally are not armed and only go in when the fighting is over. It is not known what kind of communication that contractor plane had
with the French and also the Americans.
Did they actually know how many people they were looking for to evacuate because, of course, the big question that remains is what happened with
Sergeant La David Johnson that he was left behind and his body was not discovered for 48 hours? That is a key question for the Pentagon
investigation.
And another key question, of course, is the intelligence. How did this 12- man team led by Green Berets walk into an ambush? Clearly, they did not know that ISIS fighters were there.
Broadly speaking, this is an area where insurgents are very active but they've been to this village before and not run into trouble. So the
question is, what kind of intelligence were they given on the day they went on this mission?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: CNN's Barbara Starr there. You are watching News Stream and still to come, Spain gets ready to step in, what measure is planning to
take control of Catalonia as the independent standoff comes to ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is News Stream. Now the Spanish government is set to assert direct
rule over Catalonia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:25:00] LU STOUT: After says Catalan's leader refused to clarify whether the region had declared independence. Now in the statement, the
Spanish government has said that it will trigger Article 155 of the Constitution which gives the Spanish government the power to enforce the
laws in the autonomous regions by any measures necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now for more on this, let's bring in Erin McLaughlin. She's been following this story. She joins us now live from London and Erin,
Spain is preparing to start control in Catalonia. Can you tell us more about this Article 155 and how the Catalan leadership is responding?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie. Well, Article 155 has never been invoked before it is they could give -- Spanish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy the power to do everything from call snap elections in Catalonia, to take control of Catalan and government institutions in terms
on Rajoy's specific plans, unclear at this point. Take a listen to what the government spokesperson had to say earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INIGO MENDEZ DE VIGO, SPOKESMAN, SPANISH GOVERNMENT (through a translator): The government will use all resources to restore diplomacy and the
constitutional order as soon as possible, as well as restoring the peaceful co-existence among citizens and stopping economic damage that judicial
insecurity is causing Catalonia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: Now we are expecting an extraordinary meeting on Saturday of the cabinet ministers, range of measures expected to be discussed during
that meeting. From there, they will put that forward to Spain's Senate for approval worth noting that Rajoy's party has a majority and Senate, so what
they put forward, we can expect to pass. Kristie.
LU STOUT: And what does this mean for the independence movement in Catalonia? Are we going to see more angry mass protests ahead?
MCLAUGHLIN: I think that remains to be seen in terms of Catalan president Carles Puigdemont next step. This announcement by the government of Spain
followed a letter that he sent to the Prime Minister Rajoy in which again called for dialogue.
He said quote, if the government continues to avoid dialogue and continues with repression, the Catalan Parliament could proceed if it believes it is
right to vote for a formal declaration of independence that wasn't voted on October 10th.
So it is possible that Puigdemont could convene yet another parliamentary session to formally declare independence which of course served to deepen
this political crisis that's already bubbling there in Catalonia. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Erin McLaughlin reporting live for us, thank you, Erin. You are watching News Stream and still to come, when disaster becomes the new
normal, Puerto Ricans are slowly getting power and cell access back but as you find out, many are still living in destroyed homes with no sense of
when things will be fixed.
[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.
The Spanish government is set to assert direct rule over Catalonia after it says Catalan's leader refuse to clarify whether the region had declared
independence.
In a statement, Spanish government has said that it will trigger Article 155 of the Constitution which gives the Spanish government the power to
enforce the laws in the autonomous region by any measures necessary.
Beijing is calling on Washington to abandon its prejudices following sharp criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The top U.S. diplomat
is accusing China of subverting the global order and carrying out provocative actions in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
The White House says President Trump was respectful when he made a condolence call to the widow of a fallen soldier. It says several people in
the room can confirm that. Congresswoman who was listening to that call said, Mr. Trump offended the widow, saying her husband knew what he signed
up for.
Troops in the newly liberated city of Raqqa, Syria are clearing out explosives and booby-traps in the former ISIS stronghold. Residents are
being warn to stay away a little longer. The destruction is vast with few remnants of life left in the city.
Humanitarian aid is arriving in Puerto Rico, but as you can see here, getting supplies to isolate neighborhoods, that has been incredibly
difficult. Recovery a month after the hurricane is still slow. And while the majority of residents have cell phone service back, few have power.
Leyla Santiago reports this disaster seems to be the new way of life for many.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One month later, we are seeing more FEMA aid moving or helicopters in the sky, trucks that are distributing supplies
to all parts of the island, but still the majority without power, many without clean water. You take your cellphone outside of San Juan and you'll
quickly read no service. It's like a new normal for Puerto Ricans on the island.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where I live --
SANTIAGO (voice-over): He has been cleaning for a month. Not much seems to have changed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, it's like it was yesterday.
SANTIAGO (voice-over): Angel St. Kitts (ph) lives in Humacao, the eastern coast of the island where the sea rushed in and Maria left little behind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're suffering because we don't have electricity.
SANTIAGO (on camera): One month later, there was still people gathered at the church, hoping to get supplies that come in here in this area. And
their lives are on display, on the sidewalks. You can see furniture, you can see paintings, even a Christmas stand down here. This home doesn't have
part of its roof. There is no cell service here. Nobody has power, and food and water are limited.
(voice-over) A month we've been here, we've seen and felt Maria's terrifying force. And in the aftermath, dramatic rescues, desperation, on
the ground and through the mud. We've been the first to reach communities cut off by the storm.
Despite President Donald Trump's visit and his own rave reviews of the recovery, more than 80 percent still don't have power. About 40 percent of
the cell towers remained down. And roughly a third, no running water. Banks that are open have lines that can be hours long. More than a hundred
bridges damaged, 18 closed until further notice, cutting off entire communities.
Rebecca Rodriquez tells us her family's bakery has been here for decades.
(on camera): Yes, this is how high the water came, which is at least four feet.
(voice-over): The only light here comes from our camera.
(on camera): What once smelled of fresh bread is really now smells like something is rotting in here. And she is upset because none of these will
be covered, according to her insurance.
(voice-over) Every day brings uncertainty.
(on camera): Of all the things you had in here, this is --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what I've been able to save, because the mattress, I threw it out. The bed, I threw it out. The chairs --
SANTIAGO: This isn't much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, but what can we do?
SANTIAGO (voice-over): As time passes --
(on camera): These are all your watches.
(voice-over) Disaster has become a way of life, as if Maria never left.
[08:35:00] (on camera): And when you ask people on the island how long it will take to recover, how long will it take to get to a sense of normalcy
like pre-Maria, they will tell you this is not a matter of months, this is likely now a matter of years.
Leyla Santiago, CNN, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: One month on, it is as if Hurricane Maria never left. You're watching "News Stream." Still to come, opposition figures in South Korea
are raising a controversially dealing with the north, they're calling for nuclear arm speed (ph) base in the South, but this idea can begin more
traction in the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. South Korea has long dealt with the threat of military aggression from its neighbor to the north, and the concern over
North Korea's nuclear weapons program is growing. President Moon Jae-in has been urging dialogue, but more South Korean opposition voices are calling
for more forceful approach. Alexandra Field has more on the call for a nuclear arsenal base in South Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea is seen as a bigger threat than ever under Kim Jong-un, launching
intercontinental ballistic missiles and recently claiming it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.
HONG JUN-PYO, CHAIRMAN, LIBERTY KOREA PARTY (through translator): We have the world's most villainous young leader who has the world's most dangerous
weapon in his hands.
FIELD (voice-over): And there's only one answer to South Korea's opposition party leader, Chairman Hong Jun-pyo, a nuclear weapon on South Korean soil.
He's flying to Washington D.C. next week to make his case.
FIELD (on camera): Are you giving up on the idea of a denuclearized North Korea?
JUN-PYO (through translator): We are currently witnessing the final stages of the North Korean nuclear threat. In my understanding, only by deploying
tactical weapons on South Korean territory can we negotiate with North Korea on an equal footing.
FIELD (voice-over): There hasn't been a nuclear weapon in South Korea since 1991 when the U.S. removed the assets. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
barred South Korea from building its own weapon.
Last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told CNN nukes here are not an option.
MOON JAE-IN, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): To respond to North Korea by having our own nuclear weapons will not maintain peace on
the Korean Peninsula and could lead to a nuclear arms race in northeast Asia.
FIELD (voice-over): By Treaty, the U.S. is obligated to defend South Korea. The country falls under its nuclear umbrella.
But Chairman Hong says there is reason to worry. North Korea's testing of intercontinental missiles or ICBMs believe to be capable of reaching the
United States, coupled with its claims of miniaturized nuclear warheads could leave South Korea more exposed.
JUN-PYO (through translator): Because the ICBMs have the capability to attack the U.S. mainland, that would deter the U.S. for militarily
intervening into any possible strike in the Korean Peninsula. While the United States continue to protect South Koreans, well, it means that their
own soil is being threatened.
FIELD (voice-over): He tells us what he plans to tell lawmakers next week.
[08:40:00] JUN-PYO (through translator): My mission to go to the United States is out of desperation of what we're seeing with North Korea and what
we're seeing in terms of our security threat. What I'm doing is to try to convey the public opinion of South Korea to U.S. lawmakers.
FIELD (voice-over): A Gallup poll in September showed 60 percent of South Koreans supported having some form of nuclear capability. U.S. President
Donald Trump even entertained the idea of (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. policy though for decades to prevent Japan (ph) from getting nuclear weapons.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: (INAUDIBLE) be honest with you, maybe it's going to have to be time to change because so many --
Pakistan has it, China has it.
FIELD (voice-over): In September, in an interview on CNN, top Republican lawmaker Senator John McCain didn't reject the idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Do you think the U.S. should do that?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think it ought to be seriously considered.
FIELD (voice-over): Adding (ph) nuclear weapons here, South Korean official say, would mean officially acknowledging nuclear weapons there. That is a
reality, Chairman Hong says, his country must confront.
JUN-PYO (through translator): Kim Jong-un, he's completely unchecked. He's inconsiderate of his people. He's ruthless, and he's very young. This is a
huge threat to world peace. And this is completely and utterly different from what we have witnessed in the past.
FIELD (voice-over): Alexandra Field, CNN, Seoul, South Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now, this is Jacinda Ardern. She has become New Zealand's youngest ever female prime minister. Ardern, who is 37, is the labor leader
and she claimed the office after minority party gave her its support. She took over the left-wing party just three months ago and her victory puts an
end two weeks of negotiations over who could form the next government.
And finally, two pilots, two giant fighting machines, and one massive robot brawl. The U.S. company Megabots and Japan's Suidobashi finally went head-
to-head in the battle of the century. The two piloted robots, they faced off in an abandoned steel mill in Japan, bashing cars, pallets, throwing
punches.
The brawl ended when team USA whipped in a chainsaw for finishing below on the Japanese's bot. Yes, that will do it. Now, fans have been waiting for
the showdown for two years ever since Megabots issued the challenged. It was streamed over 185,000 people on Twitch, and got a million views on its
first day on You Tube. So, congratulations to Megabots.
That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Christina Macfarlane is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
END
