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North Korea's Kim Jong Il Dies; U.S. Relations With North Korea; The "Great Successor"; Boehner Talks Tax Cut Extension; Tax Break Faces Trouble; The "Great Successor"; Blizzard Roars Across Southwestern U.S.; North Korea's Kim Jong-il Dies

Aired December 19, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Even the news anchor on the state-run TV in North Korea appeared inconsolable, gulping back tears as she reported that Kim Jong-il had died of a heart attack.

He was revered in a nation that's often been described as a cult, but his almost cartoonish appearance belied a fierce determination. His people starved while he developed nuclear weapons and amassed a military always ready to strike.

His youngest son, Kim Jong-un is likely to take over. South Korea responded to the news by putting its military on a higher state of alert. For more than 60 years, the two countries technically have remained at war.

But the threat of instability is a concern that ripples across the region all the way to Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES J. WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think it is a big development, and it's an unwelcome development. Why? Because North Korea is now starting a period that's going to be tenuous, it's going to be uncertain and frankly, it's going to be dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Kyung Lah, our international correspondent based in Tokyo, she is joining us now. Kyung, give us a little analysis of how tense this situation potentially could become.

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have to see exactly what's going to happen. From right now what we are getting are these images that are chosen by North Korean leadership to show the rest of the world that the country is in mourning, but we don't really know what's happening behind those images.

Remember, this is the hermit kingdom. The reason it's called that is because we simply don't know what's happening inside. Even reporters who cover this region, like I do from Japan, we don't really know. We can only interview people who have left that country.

So we have to see how smooth this transition is going to be. But Wolf, you and I were there about a year ago at the exact same time and we saw how tense it can very quickly become if a leader decides he wakes up on a bad day.

Remember there are 45,000 U.S. troops stationed right along that region. There are even more troops in Japan. Geographically this country is very close to U.S. interests if they decide, because they do have a nuclear arsenal, to launch.

That's how this can quickly spiral out of control. So that is why we're watching this very carefully and we just have to see if beyond the imagery exactly how smooth this transition will be.

But Wolf, you and I both know, it's like covering the Super Bowl from the parking lot. We just don't know what's happening inside.

BLITZER: That's absolutely true. When I was there, I assume when you were there as well, Kyung, the hatred that still exists among North Koreans towards Japan still comes across in so many conversations.

They remember World War II in North Korea almost as if it were yesterday, at least in the conversations that I had there. What's been the reaction in Japan to the death of Kim Jong-il because how Japan reacts will have an influence over how North Korea responds?

LAH: You're absolutely right. A very strong U.S. ally, Japan. What we're hearing from the streets of Japan is that they are just hoping that we don't hit any road bumps, that this will be a smooth transition.

But what people in Japan are also hoping for is that there is an opening, that a younger leader might perhaps give the western world a bit more of a peek inside, that they won't be so reclusive.

So we don't have these moments of instability where he decides he has a bad day and he wants to destabilize the region. So what we're hearing from Japan is that things run smoothly, but there is a lot of nervousness.

We're seeing that in the world economy, and that is what's going to affect everyone's 401k. How this will affect the world economy, the Asia region, that's spilling over into the eurozone and the U.S. economy.

BLITZER: Kyung Lah, reporting for us. Thanks very much.

Earlier this morning, President Obama spoke to his counterpart and close ally in South Korea. Our White House correspondent, Dan Lothian standing by.

Dan, it wasn't exactly a 3 a.m. phone call that the president received, but he did get the word late at night. What, around midnight he was making phone calls?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, to his counterpart in South Korea, President Lee. South Korea is an area that this administration very much focused on, concern about instability in the region, but in particular about the security of South Korea, which is a close ally of the U.S.

You might recall just a couple of months ago back in October, actually, the South Korean president was here at the White House during a joint press conference. You heard a very stern message not only from South Korea, but from the United States about the need for North Korea to rein in its nuclear ambitions.

But also painting out what would happen if, in fact, there is no move toward that, that there would be continued isolation of North Korea. But again, this is a very critical region that the administration is very concerned about, a place that President Obama visited twice so far during his administration.

I went along to South Korea on both of those trips, and you might remember that next year the Nuclear Security Summit will be held in South Korea as well. So far though a measured response from this administration in the form of a short statement released shortly after the news broke last night, in fact, Kim Jong-il had died simply stating the fact that the president was informed of this.

And that the administration was in contact with allies such as South Korea and Japan. And in an additional statement from Jay Carney later, we heard that the president's speaking with President Lee, that they would continue to talk and that they would continue to coordinate with their national security teams -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Dan. Thanks very much. Dan Lothian, our White House correspondent.

Let's take a little closer look right now at the diplomatic challenges ahead, and they are enormous. Elise Labott is joining us, our senior producer over at the State Department.

What are you hearing, Elise, as far as some sort of formal statement, a condolence statement, anything along those lines in the works?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Right now, Wolf, we don't know, but I expect not. Basically, this is being all very closely coordinated with the South Koreans. How do you calibrate a response?

At one point, you don't want to reach out too much to this young, untested leader, Kim Jong-Un, because you don't want to alienate any military people unfriendly towards the United States, but at the same time, you don't want to undermine him by reaching out to anyone else.

So what the U.S. and South Korea are really calibrating this very carefully. I spoke to some South Korean diplomats this morning and they said they don't expect that they're going to issue condolences. They don't expect the U.S. to issue any condolences. But as you know, it's not just what happens inside North Korea. How is South Korea going to respond?

You know, experts say that's a real wild card. And also Japan, speaking to the South Koreans, they were very upset that the Japanese offered condolences. They feel that is out of step in the message that all allies should be taking together.

So the region really thrown into turmoil and the United States as well and that's why they're really kind of very carefully balancing how they respond right now -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What are your sources, Elise, saying about how this death could affect the so-called six party talks involving North Korea, South Korea, obviously the U.S., China, Japan, Russia?

LABOTT: Well, certainly right now it's on hold. The nation is in mourning, and the U.S. and the other parties in the south in the six party talks have to really see who they're dealing with. They don't even know who they're going to be dealing with. Who is going to be calling the shots?

We've seen that Kim Jong-il's sister and brother-in-law have been elevated to higher status in the country, and they assume that they're going to be the ones that are running the show while Kim Jong-Un kind of begins to be mentored to really take the reins.

They feel that if this couple, if they are in charge of the decision making, that perhaps that engagement will continue. But if the military is the one calling the shots, then that could have a pullback.

You know, Wolf, we could have been having a much different conversation today because the U.S. was on the verge of announcing that it was going to resume food aid to North Korea. There were some really encouraging signs over the last couple of months that the U.S. and North Korea were talking about the nuclear issue.

That they were beginning to resume food aid in exchange for North Korea taking certain steps to halt its nuclear program, its enrichment program. That was the expectation, that this would have six-party talks to resume.

Obviously, that thrown into turmoil right now, but it really remains to be seen whether it's going to be an opening or whether it's going to be further chaos -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, that's why everybody's watching it so closely right now. As I say, the stakes really are enormous on the Korean Peninsula. Elise Labott, our senior State Department producer.

Coming up, we'll go inside North Korea. CNN's Alina Cho and I, we both visited Pyongyang last year on different occasions. We'll talk about out trips, our impressions, much more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at a live picture from Capitol Hill right now. The House Speaker, John Boehner, he is getting ready to walk to the microphones and make an announcement of the payroll tax cut, the fate of the payroll tax cut. A vote is coming up in the House of Representatives following the vote in the Senate over the weekend. As soon as we see the speaker, we'll go there. Kate Bolduan is standing by as well.

In the meantime, more on what's going on in the Korean Peninsula right now. The stakes are enormous. From Washington to Tokyo, world leaders are weighing the death of the North Korean mysterious dictator.

The communist nation says Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack over the weekend. The government has dubbed his youngest son, quote, "The great successor." Kim Jong-Un will have to rely heavily on advisors. He's had little grooming for the job. He's not even 30 years old yet.

South Korea responded to the news by putting its military on a higher state of alert. The United States has nearly 30,000 troops on the demilitarized zone. It has dramatically stepped up its monitoring of North Korea and the North Korean military.

Just over a year ago, Kim Jong-Un entered the international spotlight getting a promotion and an important title and becoming his father's presumptive successor. His first big appearance was in a military parade in Pyongyang. CNN's Alina Cho was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The most reclusive dictator in the world opens his arms and his doors to the world. An unofficial and elaborate coming out party for Kim Jong-Un, the hermit nation's hidden prince. The son of Kim Jong-il who is one day will become its leader.

This is the world's first glimpse of him in action after being named a four-star general last month. Just after touching down we're whisked to Pyongyang's May Day Stadium to the first event, the mass games.

(on camera): There are 100,000 people performing in a massive display of coordinated song, dance, gymnastics. They practiced eight hours a day every day for a year, and there's never a guarantee that Chairman Kim Jong-il will be in attendance. Tonight he is.

(voice-over): What's different this time is that Kim Jong-il appears alongside his son. When the show is over, North Koreans in the audience applaud not for the performers, but for their leader.

Next up, a massive military parade billed as the country's largest ever, a goose stepping show of firepower by one of the largest armies in the world.

Kim Jong-il said to be in frail health and rarely seen in public shows up again for the second time in two days walking unaided, but with one hand on the railing. This woman says long live the general and long live his son.

Here Kim Jong-il flashes a rare smile as his son jokes with elders. The crowd goes wild jumping, clapping, even crying. Then as night falls yet another spectacle.

(on camera): Tonight's event is the third such event in less than 24 hours, and it is pure pageantry. Take a look behind me, the colors, choreography, literally thousands of dancers in traditional dress.

The media has been invited as guests. This is the invitation. But make no mistake, the real guests of honor are up there in the balcony, Kim Jong-il and his son, Kim Jong-Un.

CHO (voice-over): This man, an actor from Denmark, one of a handful of private citizens invited by the North Korean government is among those watching.

(on camera): What about all of the reports of oppression and the people starving and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't see it. Maybe it is, but I can't see it. I can just see lucky people.

CHO (voice-over): This secretive nation will soon close its doors again leaving many questions about its future. How will the young son rule? How long can North Korea continue as an isolationist state? The world's eyes are watching as North Korea begins its transfer of power.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Alina is joining us. Alina, we're going to the Speaker of the House, John Boehner in a moment, but a lot of work was getting ready for April when North Korea presumably was going to be opening up its doors a little bit to the west celebrating what, the 100th anniversary, the birthday of Kim Il-Sung.

CHO: That's absolutely right. In fact, it's a trip that I know that both of us want to go on. It was billed as an extraordinary celebration. Obviously now, Wolf, with the death of Kim Jong-il, the tenor of that event will certainly change.

BLITZER: Hold on a second. Here's the speaker.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: At a time when millions of Americans are out of work. Democrats and Republicans agree that the payroll tax cut needs to be extended for a full year and to provide the kind of relief that Americans need in the struggling economy.

The House last week passed a bill to do just that. Instead of passing the House bill or another bill, which extended the payroll tax to a full year, the Senate Democratic leaders passed a two-month extension punting the problem into next year.

We opposed the Senate bill because a two-month extension instead of a full year extension causes uncertainty for job creators. I used to run a small business. I met a payroll. I hired workers.

A two month extension creates uncertainty and will cause problems for people who are trying to create jobs in the private sector. The idea that tax policy can be done two months at a time is the kind of activity that we see here in Washington that's really put our economy off its tracks.

Last week, both chambers worked together to pass a full year bill to fund our government. I don't think this issue is any different. It's time for Congress to do its work. No more kicking the can down the road.

Tonight, the House will vote on the Senate-passed bill. This is a vote on whether Congress will stay and do its work or go on vacation. I expect that the House will disagree with the Senate amendment and instead vote to formally go to conference.

The formal process in which the House and Senate can resolve differences between the two chambers and between our two bills, and I expect the House to take up legislation that reinforces the need to extend the payroll tax relief for a full year rather than just two months, again, to provide certainty for job creators.

I think the best way to resolve the difference between the two- month extension and a full year bill is to follow the regular order here in Congress. When there's a disagreement between the two chambers, we sit down in a conference and resolve those differences, and that's exactly what I believe the House will do.

The president has said repeatedly that no one should be going on vacation until the work is done. Democrat leaders in the House and Senate have said exactly the same thing. So I think it's time for the Senate Democrat leaders to follow the president's example, put their vacations on hold, and work in a bipartisan manner to finish the nation's business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Speaker if you can't work out a deal in the short amount of time that you have left, are you prepared to let the tax cuts lapse altogether?

BOEHNER: I think we've made it perfectly clear that we believe a full year extension of these tax cuts are very important. I don't believe the differences between the House and Senate are that great. It's time for us to do our work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Speaker, if you and your colleagues over here in the House are so against this two-month extension short term, why did you not raise the red flag with your Republican colleagues who for the most part voted for this in the Senate? BOEHNER: We expressed our reservations about what the Senate was doing, but understand I have made perfectly clear to Senator Reid and Senator McConnell sometime mid last week that I would not enter into negotiations with them until the Senate produced a bill.

And the Senate produced a bill. We expressed our reservations and I do believe they're trying to resolve this between the two chambers in the regular order of our business, that's the appropriate way to proceed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can you get a guarantee that the pipeline would be in this deal? You got it. Are you going to guarantee them that you'll get a full year -- that Congress will get one full year?

BOEHNER: We agree with the president, that all of these, the payroll tax cut, the unemployment insurance with reforms, the docs fix for two years, all of it need to be done in the right way. You know, I've been around here for a while.

I've seen Congress kick the can down the road, kick the can down the road. It's time to stop the nonsense. We can resolve these differences and we can do it in a way that provides certainty for job creators and others in our economy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 90 percent approval in the Senate, including the entire GOP leadership is now dysfunctional. Why?

BOEHNER: What I'm suggesting is that the president asked for a full year extension. We agree with the president. Democrat leaders have said the same thing over the last two weeks that we should do this for the full year. Why do we always have to go to the lowest common denominator? It's time for us to do our work. We're prepared to do our work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- one year extension, what other specific changes do you want in the bill?

BOEHNER: We believe that we passed a reasonable bill that extended all of this for a year. If there are differences between the bodies, we'll be able to resolve this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, how do you propose paying for a full year extension that will satisfy the Democrats?

BOEHNER: When we sent our bill to the Senate, 90 percent of the offsets were offsets that the president agreed to. So I don't believe it's going to be that difficult to come to an agreement that would make reforms in the unemployment insurance program and do so in I think a fiscally responsible way. One more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever tell the White House that you would reject the Senate proposal?

BOEHNER: No, never a conversation with the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Speaker, you initially supported moving forward with the two-month plan. What changed in your mind?

BOEHNER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were told that you initially supported it on the concept that the House should move forward with the Senate.

BOEHNER: No, that's not true. What I was outlining was the fact that having the Keystone pipeline in here was a success, but I raised concerns about the two-month process from the moment that I heard about it. Thanks, everybody.

(END LIVE COMMENTS)

BLITZER: All right. So there he is, the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, saying he wants basically a conference committee to begin right now negotiating differences in the legislation to extend the payroll tax cut for a full year, differences between the Senate and the House.

Our congressional correspondent, Kate Bolduan is watching what's going on. Here's the question, first question, Kate. Does the speaker have the votes in the House of Representatives tonight to reject, in effect, the Senate compromise version that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: House leadership believes that the House will reject the Senate compromise. And that this vote this evening is more of a political statement saying that this can't move forward in the House than anything else.

But I'll tell you at the same time, I hear from Democrats that if House Republicans bring this bill to the floor, which they are, they will get a vast majority of support from House Democrats, which would make the number of Republicans that would need to support it to push it through obviously much, much less.

But it's going to be one of these votes this evening, Wolf, that we're going to have to watch very closely as nothing has been very certain in this back and forth standoff battle that we've been seeing.

There's really very little you can count on as things have changed and there have been new twists and turns all throughout this -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Now we know the clock is ticking because if legislation isn't passed, signed into law by the end of this year starting January 1st, there will no longer be that payroll tax cut for about 160 million Americans potentially if they don't work it out.

The average family could lose at least $1,000 or $1,500 a year. So the Senate has already, as far as I know, gone into recess. They're on vacation.

If the House rejects the Senate language in a resolution later today, is the Senate going to be brought back to join in the conference committee between now and the end of the year to see if they can work out some sort of full-year extension?

BOLDUAN: A couple things on that. We heard here kind of for the first time really firmly from House Speaker John Boehner that he believes the best way forward is to go to conference, but there has been no indication to this point, I'll say, that Senate Democratic leaders are willing to reconvene the Senate to even consider this.

Top Senate Democratic aid is telling me that there is zero chance when I spoke to this person over the weekend that the Senate will be brought back in. Another top Democrat though made an interesting point, and it's an interesting perspective.

As House Speaker John Boehner was making the point that we all agree that one-year extension is the best way to go, that's why we want to negotiate a one-year extension, this top Democrat said to me that there's nothing stopping both sides from continuing the negotiations.

That really got held up last week toward a one-year deal, that is if the House would first pass this two-month extension to at least prevent this tax cut from lapsing come January 1. But as we can see, both sides are really staring the other one down here, Wolf, as House Speaker John Boehner says that a two-month extension is unacceptable.

The reality is the reason Senate Democratic and Republican leaders came to this conclusion that a two-month extension was the way to go is because they could not reach agreement on a comprehensive deal that would extend this talks cut as well as unemployment insurance and other issues for a full year.

So how they're going to be able to bridge that gap now since they couldn't bridge that gap during negotiations last week is quite unclear. I think Speaker Boehner's statement that it shouldn't be hard to bridge the divide or get over differences here, however he said it, I think that might be the biggest understatement yet of the week -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And very quickly, Kate. The 100 senators, they basically left town. They're in their home states right now, traveling around the world on vacation. They're not in Washington any longer, is that right?

BOLDUAN: They're not in Washington any longer, but the Senate did not -- it's kind of procedural and you know, the complexities of Congress. They didn't necessarily go into recess. They're in these pro forma sessions, sessions that come in for almost a minute or so and then gavel out.

So the Senate will be in per se every few days, if you will, during this so-called break. So they do have the opportunity that they at least will be in session. That does not mean that the senators are in town.

Only one or two will be there to bring the Senate into session and then gavel it out. So there is an opportunity procedurally that they could do something on what we like to call unanimous consent. We won't get into that, but Senate Democratic leaders have made no indication that they're willing to come back in, to start negotiating this again.

They want to get this through, pass this. The House to pass the Senate version so they can get this passed to ensure that this tax cut does not lapse. Then they say obviously the fighting and negotiating will continue in the New Year -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The main reason the senate doesn't go into full recess formally is because they don't want to give the White House the opportunity to give them recess appointments. Kate, thanks very much.

Lots more on this coming up. Lots more on North Korea coming up. Also a powerful winter storm punching its way across the South Western United States. Heavy snow, strong winds, icy roads all heading your way potentially. We'll have the forecast right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: From Washington to Tokyo world leaders are weighing the death of North Korea's mysterious dictator. The communist nation says Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack over the weekend. The government has dubbed his youngest son "The Great Successor". Kim Jong-un will have to rely heavily on advisors. Since he's had little grooming for the job.

South Korea responded to the news by putting its military on a higher state of alert. The United States has nearly 30,000 troops along the demilitarized zone between North Korea, South Korea. It has stepped up its monitoring of North Korea and of its military. Instability is a major worry across the region right now but nowhere more so than in neighboring South Korea. The two countries technically have remained at war for more than 60 years.

Anna Coren is joining us from Seoul. Anna just a few hours ago we learned North Korea did test fire what's described as a short-range missile. What's been the reaction in South Korea?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. That happened about 8:30 a.m. local time. This was, of course, several hours before the news of Kim Jong Il's death was made public. Certainly people here in South Korea, officials are playing it down. They're saying that it wasn't intended for South Korea, that this is something that the North occasionally does.

It was fired out into the east sea. So -- so they're not too concerned. They're certainly playing it down.

The feeling here in South Korea following the death of Kim Jong Il is concern, Wolf. I'd have to say deep concern. It depends on what generation of South Korean you speak to. You speak to younger people they will say, yes, we're concerned. But we are relatively calm. We did see this coming of course Kim Jong Il was ill back in 2008. That was when he suffered that stroke, and he has been frail ever since. They believe that the South Korean media in fact, are playing down the story. They're not giving as much coverage as what they normally would. Whether that's to keep things relatively calm, who knows, but when you speak to the older generation. We spoke to a man in his 60s, he said he is deeply concerned. He is concerned about the threat of war and that the government, as you say, has heightened the state of alarm for the military. They are in heightened alert.

And also they have called back all their workers from holiday. So there -- there is -- there is a real concern amongst the older generation as to what will happen in the future, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right Anna. We'll stay obviously very, very close touch with you. Anna Coren is joining us from -- was joining us from Seoul.

Alina Cho is joining us once again from New York. Alina was in North Korea last year. I had a chance to visit separately North Korea last year as well, and I've got to tell you, Alina, based on everything I saw when I was there, and I assume when you were there as well, a lot of the leadership there, they are so paranoid, that if South Korea for example or the U.S. for that matter to dramatically step up its state of alert right now, they almost certainly would respond seeing South Korean military action or U.S. military action as a provocation.

They, in effect, have to show their manhood by responding. And that could lead to a miscalculation.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right. And remember, the U.S. and South Korea have been enemies of North Korea since the country was born in 1948. You know what's interesting to note, too, Wolf, as you know is that many U.S. officials are saying, and this is obviously true, that an unstable North Korea is a more dangerous North Korea.

And a lot of that has to do with the mystery surrounding this next leader, the man they are calling "The Great Successor", just as they called Kim Jong Il the dear leader and the general.

The third son of Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong-un. Now we don't even know his age. He is said to be either 27 or 28 years old, but we're not entirely sure. We believe that he spent some time studying in Switzerland, that he's a fan of basketball, but again we pointed this out earlier. He has no military experience.

When I was in North Korea in October of 2010, a little more than a year ago, it was his unofficial coming out party, if you will. It is when they elevated him to a four star general in North Korea. But again, a lot of questions about whether he is fit to lead. A lot of questions about whether he will simply be a figurehead or whether he will have real power in North Korea.

And of course that is why the world community is reacting with such caution and in some cases fear, Wolf. BLITZER: You know it's interesting because he's the youngest son. Three sons of Kim Jong Il. Another son, the older son, I don't know if you know this, but I've read over the years, and I've heard from folks in Macau, he's sort of like a playboy hanging around casinos in -- in Macau nightclubs and obviously not part of the North Korean regime anymore.

The other son not in line for succession because his mother and Kim Jong Il never got married. So it's now the succession is in the hands of the third son, the youngest song Kim Jong-un. You're familiar with these three sons, right?

CHO: Yes, absolutely, Wolf. And I actually have a really interesting story about my last trip in North Korea when I was there when they unveiled Kim Jong-un as the next leader. The eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, and you may recall came out publicly and said that he opposed the line of succession.

And just as we were getting that news, I'll never forget this, I was live for CNN in front of the famous statue, the enormous statue in the center of Pyongyang of Kim Il Sung the founder of North Korea Kim Jung Il's father.

And remember there's no organized religion in North Korea and just after I gave that report with government minders watching me, they -- they came up to my producers and they said you know the fact that you reported that Kim Jong Nam the eldest son is opposing the line of succession, that is fine. We can't regulate what you report, but to do it with the statue of Kim Il Sung in the backdrop is akin to blasphemy because we see this as the church of North Korea.

And so they actually requested that we turn the camera around and report the news with -- with the city in the backdrop. So I found that very interesting. But it gives you just a little of insight into what it is like to report inside that country as a Western journalist.

Now of course Wolf, you know that very well.

BLITZER: Yes, I spent six days in Pyongyang with severe restrictions obviously. And we wound up doing a one-hour documentary on that trip. That was a fascinating trip for me and I hope for a lot of our viewers as well. We'll have more of that coming up.

Alina thanks very, very much.

More on the death of Kim Jong Il coming up.

Also other news including the weather, if you live in the southwest: heavy snows, strong winds, icy roads all heading your way. We'll have the forecast. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: People across the southwestern United States bracing for a major winter storm. Blizzard warnings are up in several states. Some areas could see up to two feet of snow. Our Rob Marciano is joining us right now with the details. Rob, looks pretty snowy out there.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's certainly in the same spots, Wolf that really got a pretty intense winter storm just a week ago and a week before that. So the track really hasn't changed all that much.

Here's where the intensity is across parts of Texas. The Texas panhandle, into parts of New Mexico where it's snowing heavily. There are some state roads in New Mexico that are seeing closures at this hour but interstates are open. And North Texas right now, it's all rain, heavy rain, much needed rain in places like Lovett and Amarillo. But that rain is going to turn to snow.

We've got blizzard warnings that are in effect from parts of northeast Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma anywhere from 12 to 15 inches of snow with this. And on the back side of this, we're going to get north winds that will gust at times over 40 miles an hour creating blizzard conditions.

So there's your tongue of moisture and then snow getting up into parts of the High Plains as far north as Kansas City and then this thing begins to track its way off towards the north and east.

Also with this strong possibility of seeing severe weather across southern Texas, including north central, Dallas down through Houston. And then this thing will make its way off towards the east.

This storm track hasn't changed all that much in that it has kept the East Coast, for the most part, on the mild side. And this particular storm, when it heads to the northeast it will keep at least the eastern third of the country warm and at times wet.

Another storm coming closer to Christmas, Wolf, will be a little bit dicier as far as who gets snow and who gets rain. That will make things interesting for those who want a White Christmas and also for those who had to do some travel over the holiday. We'll be talking about that more throughout the week?

BLITZER: A lot of folks dreaming of a White Christmas. They'll get it out there.

Thanks very much Rob, for that.

MARCIANO: All right.

BLITZER: Kim Jong-un is being called "The Great Successor". But what do we really know about That story after the break.

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BLITZER: The death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is prompting deep security concerns. While Kim's son, Kim Jong-un is expected to succeed his father, little is known about the younger man. CNN's Kristi Lu Stout reports.

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KRISTI LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little over a year ago North Koreans got their first glimpse of Kim Jong-un at a rare conference of the country's ruling party. The young man had been catapulted from obscurity only the day before to the rank of four star general in the Korean People's Army.

The appearance cemented rumors circulating in and out of the secretive state for about a year that the Kim Dynasty would go to a third generation. But unlike his father Kim Jong-il or his grandfather Kim Il Sung, the founder of the country whose lives are celebrated in great detail every day in the official media, Kim Jong- un's early life is a blank for most North Koreans.

The youngest of three known sons of Kim Jong-il, he was born into a life of privilege and luxury while his compatriots endured famine and extreme poverty. His mother was a Japanese-born Korean and professional dancer. He studied as a teenager in an international school in Switzerland and reportedly speaks English and German. Hardly a typical North Korean childhood.

North Korean propaganda mentions none of this preferring to concentrate on the younger Kim's deeds of the last year, pulling up his military connections, modern technological skills, and his tireless support of his father.

Kim Jong-il was already a seasoned politician when he took over the family dictatorship in 1994 having served a 20-year apprenticeship at his father's side. But thought to be only 28 years old and with so little experience, Kim Jong-un will have to rely on powerful guardians.

Chief among them, North Korea's power couple, his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, vice chairman of the national defense commission and his aunt, Kim Jong Hui, Kim Jong-il sister and a four star general. Does his unconventional up bringing give hope for change or will his reliance on the vested interests of the old guard mean business as usual on the northern half of the Korean peninsula. The world will be watching closely.

Kristi Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We'll have more on the upheaval in Pyongyang. We'll get insight from the American diplomat, Christopher Hill. He headed up the U.S. Delegation to the North Korean nuclear talks.

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BLITZER: The death of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, he'd been groomed for that role for decades before taking power. Unlike his apparent successor right now, his youngest son, Kim Jong-un.

Let's bring in the former assistant secretary of state, Christopher Hill. He's now dean of international studies at the University of Denver. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. Led the U.S. delegation to the North Korean nuclear talks.

Ambassador, thanks very much for coming in. A few technical questions and give us your sense. Some have suggested it might be a nice gesture on the part of the Obama administration to issue some sort of statement of condolence to the people of North Korea. Would that be a good idea or a bad idea?

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: I think it's all in the drafting. I'd be very careful about issuing condolence on the death of someone who's really been part and parcel of one of the most tyrannical regimes in the world.

On the other hand, I think maybe something could be done that will show some sympathy to the North Koreans. So it's all in the drafting and I'd be real careful about it frankly speaking.

BLITZER: How worried are you that the stepped up state of military alert in South Korea, U.S. Military along the demilitarized zone could prompt the North Koreans to take some sort of military step leading to a huge miscalculation.

HILL: First of all I'd be worried if they didn't take some steps to ramp up the level of concern. I think what's probably important for us at this point is to make sure that we're in touch with China and they know precisely what we're doing, what the South Koreans are doing in stepping up the alert levels. Presumably the Chinese have some contacts into the Korean Peoples' Army that they could tell them what we're doing.

BLITZER: How worried are you, Ambassador, that Kim Jong-un, who's the apparent successor, who's not even 30 years old yet might try to take some bold military action to sort of prove his credentials to the North Korean military leadership? Is that a concern?

HILL: Well, he's definitely not ready for primetime player, but on the other hand, I don't think he could take those steps at this point. I think we're kind of shifting, at least for the time being, to a sort of military junta. And so the question is whether the North Korean military would want to do that.

Often in these circumstances they want to show how tough they are to the world, and that may have been the reason for these early morning missile tests.

But I would expect that they will try to show a maximum of stability as they go through what's obviously going to be a very difficult and dicey time for them.

BLITZER: Ambassador Hill, thanks very much. I want to stay in close touch with you over these coming days. I suspect it's going to be a tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. You know that Peninsula well. Ambassador Christopher Hill, joining us via Skype from Denver.

The death of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, has the world buzzing right now for good reason. This morning we're hearing reaction from two presidential candidates. That story and more coming up.

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BLITZER: We're getting new information about those devastating floods in the Philippines. The death toll continuing to rise. The Philippines Red Cross now putting the number at 713. Government disaster relief official puts it at 927; people were killed by flash floods caused by several hours of torrential rain. We'll update you when we get more information.

We're also getting reaction to the death of the North Korean leader from Kim Jong-il -- getting reaction to the death of Kim Jong- il from a couple of the Republican presidential candidates. Our senior political editor Mark Preston is joining us now. What are they saying? Who's saying what, Mark?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Wolf we've seen statements out now from Jon Huntsman who was the former U.S. Ambassador to China as well as Mitt Romney. And they see opportunity in the death of Kim Jong-il.

In fact, let's take a look at what Governor Huntsman said this morning. Jon Huntsman describes Kim Jong-il as a tyrant whose death closes a tragic chapter for the people of North Korea and offers them the best opportunity to get on a path towards a more free and open society and political reform.

We also see that Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, says that Kim Jong-il's death represents an opportunity for America to work with our friends to turn North Korea off the treacherous course it's on and ensure security in the region.

Now Wolf, just as we were coming into this segment we've seen a statement put out by Rick Perry. This will be one of the major talking points we will hear from the Republican presidential candidates that has to do with North Korea's nuclear capability. Rick Perry says North Korea remains a nuclear power and there is a great threat that they have those weapons. So, Wolf, not a major issue in the Republican presidential candidate because there's not a whole lot of disagreement, but it will be a talking point on the trail today.

BLITZER: Certainly we'll be (INAUDIBLE) Mark, thanks very much. We are a following the death of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il.

Also Suzanne Malveaux will talk to the parents of that Florida A&M band member who died recently from suspected hazing. CNN NEWSROOM continues right after the break.

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