Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Trump Agrees To Meet With Kim Jong-Un By May; E.U. And South Korea To Ask U.S. For Tariffs Exemption; U.K. Home Secretary Visits Site Of Attack; Litvinenko Widow Reacts To Nerve Agent Attack; World Headlines; U.S.-North Korea Diplomacy; U.S. Jobs Report Numbers; Museum Showcases Women's Rights in Ancient Egypt; CNN Covers Struggle for Gender Equality. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired March 09, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A u-turn in U.S.-North Korean relations with Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un potentially meeting face-to-face, but what about sanctions,

military drills and nuclear ambitions?

Going ahead with tariffs -- Trump officially added a barrier to import of steel and aluminum. A lucky few are exempted. And nerve gas investigation

-- British military specialists heading to Salisbury to help as a former Russian spy and daughter remains comatose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: From fire and fury to a sudden face-to-face meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim

Jong-un. And what South Korea's president calls, an almost miraculous event.

No sitting U.S. president has ever met with any North Korean head of state. Mr. Trump could be the first. And we don't know when or where this meeting

will happen yet, but it is expected to take place by May.

The North Korean leader's invitation was delivered by a South Korean delegation visiting the White House. Let's get more on the reaction to

this possible meeting and what it could entail.

Andrew Stevens has been on the story, and he joins us now live from Seoul. And, Andrew, the door to diplomacy is now apparently open but now comes

preparations for the actual talks. And what Donald Trump will be willing to put on the table?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these are the great unknowns. Well that is particularly the great unknown, Kristie. What is America

prepared to do in order to achieve denuclearization and what is -- what is Kim Jong-un's bottom line on this?

I mean, the North Koreans have always said that they want U.S. troops out of South Korea. They want the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea

broken. They want the nuclear umbrella that the U.S. has currently over countries like Japan and South Korea to be pulled back.

So these are -- these are massive demands from the North or that happened in the past. We don't know what Kim Jong-un would want but we can only say

it's going to be the same sort of deal.

But certainly, Donald Trump caught so many people by surprise with his -- with his acceptance of that offer from Kim. He wasn't even supposed to

have met the delegation from Seoul today, Kristie.

They were meeting with H.R. McMaster, and they relayed the message. It was a verbal message from, Kim, saying that he wanted to talk about

denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

McMaster then hastily convened a meeting in the Oval Office. Donald Trump had virtually immediately said, yes. He agreed to this meeting. As you

say, we know it's going to be in May. We don't know where.

It could be in the DMZ, in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas or it could be in a completely separate third country, something perhaps like

Switzerland which has been the scene of these sorts of talks in the past.

We just don't know. But certainly, the reaction in Korea has been positive but again, tempered with realism. We heard from President Moon today

saying that it was almost miraculous that this deal or this agreement to meet had been done.

But again, the South Koreans continue to warn, A, that the maximum economic sanctions need to be maintained and, B, this is the start of what is going

to be most likely a very, very long, drawn out and difficult process.

LU STOUT: And the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, why did he make this offer, you know, with Donald Trump to say, look, let's talk. What's his

end game here?

STEVENS: It seems to be sanctions. That seems to be the accepted wisdom. The sanctions were biting. These are the toughest sanctions North Korea

has ever faced. Remember, it's not just the U.N. sanctions, it's also but extra sanctions from the United States.

And probably though the swing factor here, Kristie, has been the fact that China has come to the table on enforcing those sanctions. There's a lot of

anecdotal evidence to suggest that North Korea is hurting.

I've just heard recently from an analyst saying that the market places, the sort of small markets in the cities, they have no produce there to trade

because the Chinese are cracking down on goods going in and out, particularly going in to North Korea.

So from that, Kim Jong-un is saying his longevity threatened and, obviously, he doesn't want to engage in a nuclear firefight. And there has

been that threat from Donald Trump.

Donald Trump has said that they are prepared to give North Korea a bloody nose. So he is opted for this diplomatic -- this diplomatic move, whether

or not that pays dividends.

Because again, this comes down -- I cannot emphasize this enough. It comes down to what the U.S. is prepared to give up to achieve denuclearization.

[08:05:00] And the price Kim Jong-un asks may just be too high for the United States. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Andrew Stevens reporting live from Seoul. Thank you. Despite the possible diplomatic breakthrough, the U.S. and South Korea are still

moving ahead with annual joint military exercises that have often infuriated Pyongyang. Before Mr. Trump decides to meet with Mr. Kim, the

commander of the U.S. Pacific fleet told CNN the drills are unlikely to change from previous years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADMIRAL ANDREW SWIFT, COMMANDER, U.S PACIFIC FLEET: My expectation is that the exercise will unfold to a scope and scale that is about what it's been

in the past. And in the past, I would point out that the scope and scale has adjusted as well. But I suspect that the series of exercises that's

approaching, that they will be consistent with previous exercises.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The drills get underway March 31st. The possible Trump-Kim meeting is an unprecedented development for the Korean Peninsula. Sung-han

Kim is the former foreign Vice Minister of South Korea and he joins me now live from Seoul.

Sir, many thanks indeed for joining us here at CNN. There's been this pledge for talks to take place to end the tension. Of course there's

optimism out there but we've been down this path before when it comes to North Korea. So is it going to be different this time?

SUNG-HAN KIM, KOREA UNIVERSITY, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Well, I hope so, it's going to be different. But as you can remember,

North Korea has cheated us twice through the Geneva Agreed Framework of 1994 and September 13th agreement of 2007.

North Korea's pattern of negotiation is to increase tension and go to the negotiating table, and then turn around and cheat again. This kind of

pattern should be stopped.

In the meantime, North Korea's credibility has been significantly reduced so now North Korea has, you know, appealed to the summit talks to increase

the credibility on North Korea and also increase our expectations toward North Korea.

LU STOUT: And when these talks take place, this will be the first time the sitting leaders of North Korea and the United States will be meeting face-

to-face. And these are two very big personalities.

And Donald Trump, he is a president who has threatened North Korea. He has called Kim Jong-un names. He's said that he's willing to totally destroy

North Korea. So when he sits down to talk to Kim Jong-un, again, face-to- face. Are you confident that Donald Trump will be diplomatic, that he will engage with Kim Jong-un?

KIM: I think he will be talking pretty straight, tough because he knows North Korea's commitment to denuclearization is quite, you know,

conditional commitment.

According to South Korea's special envoy to North Korea, Kim Jong-un pointed out and made it clear that there is no reason to possess nuclear

weapons as long as the military threat is eliminate and regime security is guaranteed.

This is a big condition, so it depends on how President Trump will be able to elaborate those conditions into so concrete agenda. So I think

President Trump will be talking about these conditions directly, so that North Korea may not maintain so-called strategic ambiguity about those

conditions.

LU STOUT: The talks are due to begin the end of May. No doubt America's allies in South Korea are closely consulting with Donald Trump and his

administration. What is your advice about how Donald Trump and his team should prepare going into these groundbreaking talks?

KIM: As I just mentioned, those two conditions, elimination of a multi- threat is directly related to the status of U.S.-ROK military alliance. North Korea believes the USFK and alliance itself has been and will be a

direct military threat to North Korea.

But from the -- our allies point of view, we have to maintain this alliance for a variety of security reasons. As long as North Korea's, you know,

military's threat remains and change.

So I would, you know, advise on those two presidents, President Moon and President Trump, you know, not to damage our alliance relationship.

[08:10:08] In other words, we need to maintain very close, you know, policy coordination and security cooperation, so that North Korea may not drive a

wedge between Seoul and Washington.

So that North Korea may not try to, you know, retreat again through the summit talks. So alliance should come first rather than inter-Korean

cooperation. Our central access of our diplomacy should be based on U.S.- ROK alliance relationship.

(CROSSTALK)

LU STOUT: So much at stake here, the strength of the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea, as well as peace in Peninsula, the greater goal here.

Sung-han Kim, thank you so much for joining us here on the program and take care.

Our other top story this hour, Donald Trump's move to put those heavy tariffs on aluminum and steel has Anger U.S. allies, spooked the markets,

prompted the resignation of his chief economist and worsened a rift inside his own party.

Canada and Mexico are currently exempt and we've now learned that the E.U. is going, to apply for his own exemption. South Korea also asked for its

own exemption as well. Still, Preside Trump is staunchly defending his order to put a 25 percent tax on steel a 10 percent on aluminum. He's

using a special national security provision arguing that without steel, you don't have a country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today I'm defending America's national security by placing tariffs on foreign imports of steel

and aluminum.

The American steel aluminum industry has been ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices. It's really an assault on our country. It's been an

assault.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Here's a look at some facts on where the U.S. and China stand with one another in terms of trade. The U.S. trade deficit with China was

$375 billion in 2017.

China is the world's largest steel producer. China is the fourth largest aluminum exporter and the 11th largest steel exporter to the U.S.,

accounting for less than three percent all of steel imports to the U.S.

So the question is, will these tariffs impact China much at all? Well, let's bring in, CNN's Matt Rivers. He joins us live from Beijing. And,

Matt, Beijing -- you know, Beijing doesn't like these tariffs. It called them a serious attack but what real impact will they have on China?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, assuming that China is now granted an exemption like perhaps Canada and Mexico, and the E.U. and even South

Korea which I don't think we're going to see an exemption granted.

In China's case, look, it's not going to have a huge impact on the economy here, Kristie. And that's because of what you just said. Even though

China is the world's largest steel producer, most of that product does not go to the United States.

Now that's not to say that the Trump administration doesn't have a perfectly valid argument when talking about the history of Chinese steel

being exported to other countries.

It is widely accepted in the international community that China has used state subsidies to artificially lower its prices to dump its steel at

artificially low prices in markets across the world. But that's not new.

In fact, the United States has actually already issued 24 different trade remedies over the years. Things like countervailing duties, things like

anti-dumping duties, because it's been well known that China has done that.

So the Trump administration can point to that and say, look, China has this history but the fact is that China imports that low amount of steel to the

United States right now because of all of those other tariffs, those penalties if you will that the United States has imposed on it over the

years.

So it was interesting today that you heard the president consistently talk about the trade deficit between the United States and China. And it is

massive.

And you have widespread agreement that at least amongst the business executives I speak with here in China, something has to be done to fix the

inequity between the United States and China when it comes to their trade relationship.

What everyone is kind of scratching their heads over in a way, if you really want to do that, looking at items like steel and aluminum, which

really are not big parts of the Chinese export economy here, that's not really going to have an impact and really change the balance all that much.

LU STOUT: Now still not the way to go after China but could be more trade moves to come from Donald Trump. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing,

thank you.

Now let's dig into the implications of these tariffs with Economist Fred Hu. He is the Founder of Primavera Capital Group, a global investment firm

and former head of China at Goldman Sachs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED HU, FORMER PARTNER AT GOLDMAN SACHS: So far the reaction from Beijing has been recently restrained and measured, but you know, that acted (ph)

deep anxiety and concern about what Trump might do next.

[08:15:06] So a lot is at stake. I do expect both Beijing and Brazil will come up with counter measures to send a signal that this type of behavior

is not acceptable. It's going to do so much disruption for the global trading order.

LU STOUT: Let's talk about those countermeasures. If China wants to retaliate, what would it look like?

HU: Well, China could (Inaudible) product -- I would it will pattern into Trump's, you know, support base, you know which is steel and coal because

China, for example, is a significant import of U.S. coal and the coal mine industry is part of Trump's base, and automobile, right? So you probably

could -- you know, the traditional old economy manufacturing jobs. China also, you know, has some leverage as well.

LU STOUT: Donald trump did leave a door open. He said he is open to talks with other countries to discuss what he calls alternative arrangements. So

is that a silver lining there?

HU: Well, I don't know. So it's meant to be a global task. Now there are so many exceptions. Allies are exempted there. And the big export to

U.S., you know, as Canada has been exempted. China on steel is a bit of small player, like 2.2 percent of U.S. steel imports.

But the impact might be large than that. So, clearly, you know, we have a president on the White House who is obsessed with the trade deficit and

China will always be on top of his list. So China needs to be prepared for something much bigger and much worse to come.

LU STOUT: There's been a lot of talk about inflationary pressure. So do the new tariffs mean higher prices for American consumers, and how could

that affect the global economy?

HU: You know, all of the banks that enter the U.S. trying to hike the interest rates and you know, tariff -- if there's any additional pressure

that could be bad for the ongoing recovery and bad for the market.

LU STOUT: The political theater involved here. When Donald Trump signed those new tariffs, he was surrounded by American steel workers. I mean, he

was doing America First for the base that voted him into power. When people overseas see that, what does that signal to the rest of the world?

HU: You know, U.S. has been champion of free trade since World War II. You know, ironically, the U.S. economy right now is very strong, you know,

four new parliament, and no inflation and a very strong economic growth.

So President Trump is broken (ph). You know, he is looking on a very small and shrinking part of the U.S. economy, small and shrinking part of the

U.S., you know, job creation and he add expenses of much stronger, broader, you know, U.S. growth industries in technology.

U.S. steel is very strong. So, you know -- but his action will likely generate a repercussion, you know, throughout the world which will -- in

the end, everyone will be hurt, including the U.S. itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Fred Hu speaking to me earlier. Now, there are big developments thawing the attempted assassination of that former Russian double agent.

British authorities say that they are sending a large contingent of troops to the scene of the attack. More on that in just a moment.

[08:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream. Britain is sending 180 troops to the scene of

Sunday's nerve gas attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter.

The British defense ministry says that they're being deployed to back up police on the ground already there. Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd

visited Salisbury where the attempted assassination took place.

She says Sergei Skripal and his daughter are both still in very serious condition. Russia today said it is ready to assist the investigation if it

gets a formal request. Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A flurry of activity at the home of Sergei Skripal, where he and his daughter remain in a critical coition.

And the policeman who first rushed to their aid, improving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Amber Rudd.

AMBER RUDD, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: Thank you.

WALSH: The task for British officials this day, appearing in control but keeping the investigation secret.

RUDD: The use of a nerve agent on U.K. oil is a brazen and reckless act. This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way.

People are right to want to know who to hold to count. But if we are to be rigorous in this investigation, we must avoid speculation and allow the

police to carry on their investigation.

WALSH: For now that means waiting to point the finger at the likely sophisticated power that could provide such a murder weapon. They know

behind me exactly what it is. The investigation is clearly gathering details faster than they're willing to publicize.

But advancing, too, giving the broad British suspicion that Russia is ultimately behind this and thinks it can get away with it. There dare

demands that any British response has teeth.

Even European officials tasked with giving Britain a rough ride over Brexit said European strength was in unity and there should be clear consequences

for Russian authorities.

But as the Skripals fight for their lives, what can Britain harried on the world stage by its internal turmoil, actually do? Russia's wealth and its

wealthy have flooded into London once marvel that as Moscow in the tense and now, just more plainly accepted as where rich Russians keep their

valuables.

OLIVER BULLOUGH, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: The close friends of Putin, certainly that have children, have a lot of property in West London and the

deputy prime minister has a flat just on the embankment just down from the House of Commons.

So yes, I mean there's a lot of sort of very high ranking Russian people who have bought property here. But it's not just property. They like to

educate their children here, they like to have their business decisions adjudicated by English courts. They like to send their children to English

universities. So I mean, we're a broad spectrum service provider for oligarchs.

WALSH: The pressure will mount as facts emerge for a clear response upon the Kremlin's moneyed elite to the damage done to this seemingly ordinary

Russian's life in Salisbury. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And the wife of a former Russian spy who was killed in Britain 2006 is speaking exclusively to CNN. Marina Litvinenko says the nerve

attack against Sergei Skripal and his daughter reminds her of her own husband's murder. Alexander Litvinenko died after two Russian agents

spiked his tea with highly radioactive polonium-210. Nic Robertson spoke to her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARINA LITVINENKO, WIDOW OF FORMER RUSSIAN SPY: I am calling immediately for expulsion from the U.K. of all Russian intelligence authority.

NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the U.K. Marina Litvinenko needs little introduction. Her husband, former Russian spy

Alexander "Sasha" Litvinenko was murdered by Russian agents in 2006. We meet in a Berlin cafe. I ask about the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia

Skripal.

LITVINENKO: When I saw the picture of people wearing all this protection costume...

ROBERTSON: Hazmat suits?

LITVINENKO: ... I was absolutely shocked.

ROBERTSON: When you see Yulia...

(voice-over): I showed her a picture of Sergei and Julia Skripal.

LITVINENKO: I've never met him. I saw these photos on the internet of course.

ROBERTSON: She is trying not to jump to conclusions, but the similarity to her husband's poisoning impossible to miss.

[08:25:06] Now we know that it's nerve agent.

LITVINENKO: Now it's more and more evidence it might be only state sponsored. What state, we still don't know, but if it's Russian guy and

even he was served for security service before being in Russia, of course you can think it might be punish from Russia state.

ROBERTSON: Is that what you think?

LITVINENKO: It's more emotional yet, but saying yes, I'm sure.

ROBERTSON: When her husband was murdered, it took British authorities ten years to conclude an inquiry blaming Putin and Russia's intelligence

services. Now everyone knows what to expect from Russia.

LITVINENKO: When it happened to us 11 years ago, we need to prove it. Nobody could believe Russia state behind this crime or even for 2 1/2 weeks

when Sasha was in hospital, nobody believed Sasha was poisoned at all.

ROBERTSON: And now this time immediately make the connection.

LITVINENKO: Exactly.

ROBERTSON: Even so she is frustrated, the British government wasn't tougher on Russia after her husband's murder, putting former spies' lives

in danger.

LITVINENKO: And now when they're talking protection, about safety, it looks British government can't provide.

ROBERTSON: They can't provide it?

LITVINENKO: They can't and now it's a bigger shoe. If you accept people who are asking for political asylum...

ROBERTSON: Like Sergei?

LITVINENKO: Like Sergei, like Sasha, you know they have many people in the U.K. in this same reason. And now how we need to feel after what happened

to this man? Only insecure and very unsafe.

ROBERTSON: What she knows for sure, whatever is said, Russia will push back.

LITVINENKO: They say it was not court, it was not evidence.

ROBERTSON: So they deny, deny, deny it?

LITVINENKO: Deny it.

ROBERTSON: So if they are responsible, they will deny, deny, deny it?

LITVINENKO: Yes. They will do this.

ROBERTSON: The two men responsible for your husband's murder, the British government ask the Russian government to allow them to come to Britain?

LITVINENKO: Yes.

ROBERTSON: Has that happened?

LITVINENKO: It still hasn't happened.

ROBERTSON: Why not?

LITVINENKO: Because they could say something.

ROBERTSON: What do you think? This is the murder of your husband. What do you think they would say?

LITVINENKO: I don't know. But they need to provide information how they received this polonium, how they could bring this to London and who gave

them this order. And after that, it will be more obvious who is behind of this crime.

ROBERTSON: So the fact they haven't come yet does imply that this is right at the top of the Russian government to Putin?

LITVINENKO: Yes.

ROBERTSON: Do you feel in you heart of heart, this is the case with Sergei?

LITVINENKO: Yes.

ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: In Syria, witnesses tell CNN that shelling is intensifying in parts of rubble-held Eastern Ghouta as aid workers try to deliver much-

needed food and aid.

Thirteen humanitarian trucks have entered the besieged rebel-held enclave. And after delivering, which cut short earlier this week, the U.N. says a

shelling happening right now is putting the convoy at risk.

Meanwhile, Medecins Sans Frontieres says 15 of the 20 facilities it supports have been bombed or shelled. The group says those facilities have

reported at least 1,000 fatalities in two weeks with thousands more injured.

U.S. President Donald trump has accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's invitation to meet. But Mr. Trump insists that sanctions will remain.

We're going to have more on that story, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." These are your world headlines.

The White House says sanctions against North Korea will remain in place as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Kim Jong-un in May. Mr.

Trump accepted the invitation delivered by a South Korean delegation on Thursday. It is still not clear specifically when or where that meeting

will take place.

Key U.S. allies and trading partners are condemning President Trump's decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports for everyone except

Mexico and Canada. South Korea calls the move unjust and wants its own exemption on steel. The E.U. is also going to apply for an exemption.

British authorities say 180 troops are being sent to Salisbury, England, where a former Russian double agent and his daughter were attacked with a

nerve agent on Sunday. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the crime scene. She says both Sergei Skripal and his daughter remained in a very

serious condition.

Now, let's get back to our top story now. U.S. President Donald Trump's stunning decision to meet for direct talks with North Korean Leader Kim

Jong-un. But despite the high stakes diplomacy here, North Korea's state broadcaster didn't even mention the news on his evening bulletin.

Will Ripley joins us from Seoul with more on this story. And Will, just want to get your thoughts on that. How should we interpret the lack of

comments so far on North Korean state media?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I wouldn't read too much into it, Kristie, only because we know from experience that often it takes

North Korean media 24 hours or more to report something the rest of the world has already reported about.

I've have been in the country many times, for example, when there's a missile launch, and it's the whole buzz of everywhere, but the actual

country where it occurred, North Korea. You know, their media doesn't work at the same speed that we do in the outside world. There is no social

media. The government carefully controls the flow of information. And they want to make sure they get this message right.

It will be interesting to see how they deliver this news to the North Korean people given the fact that for much, if not all, of the Trump

presidency, they have cast him as an old, senile, lunatic, a dotard not worthy of meeting with their supreme leader Kim Jong-un.

I've interviewed people on the streets of Pyongyang and asked them if they think that a meeting between, you know, President Trump and their leader

should happen, and they say, no, that they don't think that their leader should meet with somebody like President Trump. So, obviously, it will be

interesting to see how they explain this to their own people when they decide to break the news.

LU STOUT: Yes, very much so. Despite that animosity showcased towards Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un gave Donald Trump the invitation for these talks

and Trump has accepted. What is Kim Jong-un trying to get out of this?

RIPLEY: Yes, it was surprising to a lot of people. But if you look at the scenario as it is right now, first of all, normalizing relations with the

United States and a sit-down meeting with the president of the United States is something that the previous two North Korean leaders wanted to do

and they never could.

That was a goal of Kim Il-sung. It was the goal of Kim Jong-il. Remember, you know, President Clinton sent Madeleine Albright to Pyongyang, you know,

with the -- with the hope of maybe possibly being able to set up a meeting with President Clinton when he was still in office towards the end of his

second term, but they just couldn't get it together.

And, yes, what Kim Jong-un has done here is, he saw an opportunity with President Trump as a president probably unlike any other that in the past

or even the future who is going to skip the bureaucracy, skip the standard protocol, and just make a realistic, some might say rash decision to say,

"OK, let's do this, let's make the meeting, let's make it happen."

That's President Trump's style and you can guarantee that Kim and his advisers have been studying very closely this U.S. administration, trying

to figure out the best approach. They spent much of the last year launching missiles. They conducted nuclear tests.

And the response from the United States was stepped up sanctions, threats of military conflict. And so now you see the North Koreans trying this more

diplomatic approach. Now, what they're actually willing to give up when they go into this meeting? Are they serious about denuclearization?

[08:35:00] It's written in their constitution. Kim Jong-un's whole image is built up around the nuclear force that he has assembled. But, you know, you

never know what's going to happen until -- until it happens. And it's clearly what the last 12 hours have proven to us, Kristie, is all bets are

off.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Will Ripley, reporting live for us from Seoul, thank you as always for your analysis and do take care.

Now, this just in to us here at CNN. U.S. jobs report numbers. And the U.S. has added 313,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate remains unchanged

at 4.1 percent. Of course, we're going to have analysis in about half an hour from now on "CNN Money" with Maggie Lake at the New York Stock

Exchange, so do stick around for that.

Now, women around the world are demanding equal rights, but in ancient Egypt, they didn't have to. We'll explain just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: It is a glittering Friday night here in Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching "News Stream."

Now, in ancient Egypt, women didn't have to fight so hard for equality. In fact, they walk side by side with men on equal footing. Now, a museum in

Turin, Italy has a special exhibit to display ancient Egypt's dedication to women's rights. Ben Wedeman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She lives some 3,400 years ago. Merit was a woman of means. The wife of the

architect, Kha, she enjoyed all the trappings of wealth during Egypt's new kingdom. Her wig of human hair, her jewelry and toiletries, her sumptuous

sarcophagus are all on display in Turin's Museo Egizio or Egyptian Museum.

Founded in 1824, it's the world's first museum dedicated to ancient Egypt. Merit and other Egyptian women enjoyed not just wealth. They also possessed

a rare commodity in the ancient world, equality.

VALENTINA SANTINI, EGYPTOLOGIST: (UNTRANSLATED).

WEDEMAN (voice over): They could divorce, they could own property, says Egyptologist Valentina Santini. They had many rights, the women in

subsequent civilizations didn't have.

Art work from the time shows wife and husband as equal, side by side, arms entwined. The Egyptian pantheon was full of fearsome goddesses, like

Sekhmet. It means "the powerful one," with the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. There was no segregation, no seclusion, no veiling, quite

to the contrary.

(on camera): When the Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt in the fifth century B.C. and was shocked to find that women and men had almost equal

rights, he wrote that the Egyptians seemed to have reversed the ordinary practices of mankind.

(voice over): Ancient Egypt was well ahead of its time, says museum director Christian Greco.

[08:39:58] CHRISTIAN GRECO, MUSEUM DIRECTOR: Women in Greece actually had to stay at home and take care of the household. They didn't really have a

role in society. We can say that ancient Egypt was very well developed in that concern.

WEDEMAN (voice over): And it bothered Herodotus, according to Museo Egizio Foundation president, Evelina Christillin.

EVELINA CHRISTILLIN, PRESIDENT, MUSEO EGIZIO: Probably he was quite upset by seeing what was happening just next door, because maybe Greek women

could take an idea and try to get the same opportunities that their Egyptian colleague had.

WEDEMAN (voice over): It's been time's up for a very, very long time.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Turin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: What a mind-blowing history lesson there. Now, as advanced as ancient Egypt may have been, all these centuries later, women around the

world, we are still pushing to bring down barriers to gender equality.

And CNN is partnering with the European Journalism Center to show you the challenges women face all over the world, in particular in some of the

world's least developed countries. As part of a year-long series, CNN is speaking to five inspiring women from five continents all fighting to be

treated as equals.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

BRISA DE ANGULO, SEX ABUSE VICTIM: I grew up in Bolivia, and I had a wonderful childhood until family member, an adult family member who was

almost twice my age, came to live in my house. He started raping me and my life went downhill after that.

I was blamed. I was the one to be at fault because I was sexually abused. And socially in Bolivia, if you are a child and you are a girl, it's your

fault. We receive intimidation from almost the entire government system trying to silence me.

My house was set on fire twice. It was stoned. I was almost kidnapped, almost killed several times, ut I just couldn't stay silent because

throughout this process, I found out that I wasn't alone, that there were tons of girls that were also being sexually abused. So at age 17, I funded

the first and only center in Bolivia for children who have been sexually abused.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: What an incredible story. And do join us Sunday to hear the rest of Brisa's story. There are other women around the world leading the charge

for change, 7:00 p.m. here in Hong Kong, 8:00 p.m. in Seoul, only here on CNN.

And that is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with Rhiannon Jones is next. Serena Williams return to

competitive tennis after the birth of her daughter. You don't want to miss that. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END