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South Korean President Yoon Under Pressure to Step Down; Israel Threatens Lebanon as Attacks Strain Truce; Rebels Approach Key Syrian City of Hama; Trump's Pick for Defense Secretary Faces More Trouble; Georgian Capital Tbilisi Rocked by Pro-EU Protesters; World Leaders Plan for How to Work with New Trump Admin Again. South Korean President Pressured to Resign after Marital Law Fiasco; Hannah Kobayashi Declared Voluntary Missing Person; Officials to Return Paris Stowaway to U.S. on Wednesday. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 04, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:18]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade live in Atlanta. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
A chaotic night in Seoul ends with uncertainty after South Korea's president declares martial law only to back down hours later.
Plus, Donald Trump's Defense secretary pick at risk of imploding with new reporting that the U.S. president-elect's team is considering dumping him for someone else.
And a Russian woman became a stowaway on board a flight from New York to Paris. Now she's refusing to return back to the U.S. The TSA is revealing how she managed to get past security.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: We begin in South Korea where pressure is mounting on the president to resign after he declared martial law.
Right now it is 2:00 p.m. in Seoul, where protesters are out in force in the capital a day after Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law before reversing that decision hours later. He claimed he was doing it to protect against anti-state forces and threats from North Korea. His chief of staff and several senior secretaries have resigned. Opposition leaders say they'll soon start impeachment proceedings against the president. The country's largest labor union is planning to strike until Yoon steps down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARK CHAN-DAE, DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF KOREA FLOOR LEADER (through translator): He should step down, resign immediately. This is the mandate of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, many are questioning what was truly behind the martial law declaration, which led to clashes between protesters and security forces. Hundreds of police officers remain on guard outside South Korea's National Assembly building.
Well, President Yoon's decision to declare martial law caught many in South Korea and around the world completely by surprise.
CNN's Mike Valerio explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soldiers clashing with citizens in a shocking scene outside of South Korea's parliament as crowds chant dismiss the martial law after the country's president declared nationwide military rule the first time since 1980 in an unusual late-night TV address.
YOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I declare emergency martial law to defend the Republic of Korea from the danger of North Korean communist forces.
VALERIO: All this in response to a number of actions by the opposition, including rejecting a budget bill and attempts to impeach officials from Yoon's administration. Yoon Suk Yeol said the moves were intended to, quote, "incite rebellion" and accused opposition lawmakers of trying to destabilize the country.
CHO KUK, FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER, "REBUILDING KOREA" PARTY LEADER (through translator): This decision is a crime. Is this someone who we will let run this country? No. Will we let this slide? No.
PARK GEON-WOO, SOUTH KOREAN CITIZEN (through translator): It doesn't make sense. As far as I know, this is the first martial law declared since the Gwangju Democratization Movement. It is really happening in the 21st century.
VALERIO: Broken windows and rifle-wielding soldiers standing at the National Assembly building as tensions between the presidency and opposition lawmakers spills into mass protests.
We're here in the crowd and there are two military vehicles that are trying to get out of here. We're just a few blocks away from the National Assembly. There were some soldiers that were saying their military vehicles are trying to leave the area and get back to their base. Protesters, of course, voicing their huge outrage and dismay at this moment.
(Voice-over): The extraordinary measure the president insists was to do away with what he claims are groups sympathetic towards North Korea. Hours later, Yoon forced into reversing his decision after lawmakers voted to overturn his order, leaving a rattled South Korean public reeling from the political chaos.
(On-camera): The question now, what will be the presidents next move amid growing anger across South Korea?
Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson arrived in South Korea just a short time ago. He joins us now live from Seoul.
Good to have you with us, Ivan. So for six hours, South Korea was under emergency martial law. Just explain how that unfolded, the chaos and what the feeling is like now.
[00:05:04]
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what's so striking right now, Lynda, is that after this remarkable chapter of political history of a president declaring emergency martial law and then lifting it after lawmakers voted it down that life on the streets of the Korean capital seems absolutely normal.
I mean, I flew into Korea's Incheon Airport. The airport looked normal there was no beefed up security presence there whatsoever. Drove the distance into Seoul. The cafes are packed with business lunch crowds. People are walking around on the streets as usual.
Of course everybody is talking about this political earthquake, this dramatic step that Yoon Suk Yeol took and where his political support essentially dissolved, where you have the leader of his own political party condemning the martial law declaration, that you had a number of lawmakers from his own party that reportedly voted along with the total of 190 lawmakers who overturned the martial law declaration.
So, you know, this could be one of the shortest periods of martial law that the world has ever seen. And we've certainly seen a revulsion to this measure coming from different sides of Korean society. And I think what's most striking is that it's coming from within his own party as well. His chief of staff has submitted his resignation. Some of his senior secretaries have submitted their resignation as well.
You have the leader of his political party calling for one of his close allies, the defense minister, to resign, as well as for the cabinet basically to resign. And then you have the opposition, which controls a majority of the seats in the parliament that they say they're preparing laws to -- they're preparing to formally accuse President Yoon of treason. So, you know, it is, again, a remarkable turn of events.
But then you're also seeing how in some ways stable Korean society is where the stock market here took a 2 percent dip but then recovered shortly afterwards. So again another example of perhaps what a mistaken gamble the president made when he tried to declare martial law.
Back to you.
KINKADE: Yes, a huge mistake really. As you say, people within his own party quitting and resigning but also the opposition saying that they're going to start impeachment proceedings. How will that progress? What could it mean for the president? Because this is the president that was already unpopular. Are his days numbered?
WATSON: You know, that's what one member of his own party, a local official, told me, and a former lawmaker, that he doesn't see how it's possible that President Yoon could continue to govern after the events of the last 12 hours. But it remains to be seen how that will unfold. You've got a major labor union here that is calling for a strike and for that to continue until President Yoon resigns.
Certainly, the opposition will probably be preparing for some form of an impeachment. A question will be what would his own party's lawmakers do, how would they perhaps react to this? This isn't the first time that Korea has seen this at this level. I covered the impeachment, the president -- and Park Geun Hye when she was stripped from office by the constitutional court in 2017. She was ultimately sentenced to jail on corruption and abuse of power charges and only then pardoned and released from jail by her successor who was President Moon Jae In.
So there have been periods of this kind of instability and political instability before but Korea and its political system have survived that in the past.
KINKADE: Ivan Watson, good to have you there on the streets of Seoul for us. We will talk again soon. Thanks so much.
Well, Israel is warning Lebanon of dire consequences if the ceasefire with Hezbollah falls apart. Israel's defense minister visited troops near the border Tuesday, a day after Israel and Hezbollah both carried out the attacks despite the ceasefire.
Here's what he told them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISRAEL KATZ, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): If we go back to war, we will penetrate deeper and the most important thing they should know is that there will be no immunity for the state of Lebanon. Until now, we made a distinction between Lebanon and Hezbollah. It will no longer be the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:10:06]
KINKADE: Well, the U.S. says it believes the truce, quote, "continues to be largely holding in place," despite for tit-for-tat strikes between the two sides. But an Israeli minister says both the American and French governments have privately told Israel that they believe it is violating the agreement.
More now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond reporting from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: One week after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire, we are now witnessing the most tenuous moments of this very fragile truce. That's because over the course of the last week, we have seen near-daily accusations of violations of the ceasefire on both sides of the equation and the past 48 hours have seen an uptick in violence between Israel and Hezbollah.
On Monday night after Hezbollah fired two rockets towards Israeli occupied territory, Israel responded with a series of airstrikes that resulted in the deadliest day in Lebanon since the beginning of the ceasefire. Nine people were killed in Israeli strikes in Southern Lebanon, but they are not the only airstrikes that we've seen from Israel. Every single day of the ceasefire. Israel has actually carried out some kind of airstrike.
They say that they are doing so in order to enforce this ceasefire, claiming that those strikes were targeting Hezbollah operatives who were violating this ceasefire agreement. But we do know that not only has the Lebanese government accused Israel of violating the ceasefire, but also U.S. and French officials who are part of this monitoring mechanism have raised serious questions with Israel about these potential violations.
There have also been concerns about the fact that Israel appears to be flying drones very low over Beirut, which could also be a violation of this ceasefire. A source with UNIFIL says that there have been more than 100 Israeli violations of the ceasefire over the course of the last week. And now there is a new warning from the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who is saying that should this ceasefire break down, should Israel return to a state of war with Hezbollah, then this time will be different.
Israel will not only strike deeper into Lebanese territory, he says, but will also go after the Lebanese government itself, meaning not just going after Hezbollah targets, but also going after the Lebanese government, the Lebanese military, which would be a dramatic escalation of this conflict.
Now, that's not something that we're foreseeing right now at this stage. It seems like the political will is still there to maintain this ceasefire. But the question is, for how long as we watch this very fragile moment of this truce?
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, in Syria rebel forces are still on the move, seizing more land despite strikes by the Russian and Syrian army.
Opposition fighters are on the doorstep of Hama in central Syria, the latest location in their lightning offensive that began in the north last week. The areas in green show the territory already taken by rebels, which includes much of Aleppo and Idlib Provinces, and you can see Hama is just a bit further south.
CNN's Ben Wedeman explains why this city is strategically significant to both sides.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Forces loyal to the Syrian government remain on the defensive with attention now focused on the central Syrian city of Hama. The rebels have taken up positions north of Hama, a city where in 1982 the army and intelligence services of then President Hafez al-Assad, the father of today's Bashar al-Assad, killed more than 10,000 people during an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood. Hama was also the scene of huge anti-Assad regime protest at the start of the revolt against Bashar in 2011.
Syria's official news agency reported Tuesday evening that government reinforcements had been deployed in the city in anticipation of a rebel assault. Now the rebel offensive is spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, considered by the U.S. to be a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, the rebels are consolidating their grip over most of Aleppo, Syria's second biggest city.
Regime forces largely abandoned the city without much of a fight. The area under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has more than doubled in less than a week, while the United Nations reports almost 50,000 people have been displaced as a result of the renewed fighting.
Now, the Syrian Defense Ministry has vowed to launch a counteroffensive, but apart from strikes by the Syrian and Russian air forces that counteroffensive has yet to materialize.
[00:15:06]
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: The rebel siege in Syria led to a fiery exchange at the U.N. Security Council Tuesday. The deputy U.S. ambassador acknowledged that one of the main opposition groups has ties to al Qaeda, but said that that should not give the Syrian government and its Russian backers carte blanche to crack down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT WOOD, DEPUTY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: The fact that HTS is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and U.N. does not justify the further atrocities by the Assad regime and its Russian backers.
VASSILY NEBENZIA, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N. (through translator): You were unable to summon the courage to condemn a clear terrorist attack undertaken against peaceful civilians and peaceful Syrian cities. There are no illusions that Washington will ever be willing to sincerely combat international terrorism. To be frank, we are pleased that we are on an opposite side of the barricade right now from you.
WOOD: He is in no position to accuse the United States of supporting terrorist groups. The United States has for decades fought the scourge of terrorism and will continue to fight that scourge of terrorism. So the representative from the Russian Federation is in no position to lecture us on this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the U.N. secretary-general has called for the fighting in Syria to stop immediately.
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump may be considering replacing his pick for secretary of Defense. A senior transition team tells CNN that the nomination of Pete Hegseth is in trouble. The former FOX News host has been navigating multiple controversies and plenty of allegations, and the Trump transition source says Hegseth hasn't been honest with Trump or his team.
As a result, multiple sources say Trump's allies are making a list of alternative picks in case the situation gets worse. Among the names are Florida governor and former rival Ron DeSantis, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst and Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty.
Well, CNN's Manu Raju has more now from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pete Hegseth now facing a tough road to become the next secretary of Defense.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Some of these articles are very disturbing.
RAJU: The former FOX News host and military veteran has tried to weather a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct, including allegations of sexual assault.
Are you concerned?
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): Of course it's concerning but I look forward to visiting with Pete about it and seeing -- I'm interested in who Pete Hegseth is today, and who he is going forward.
SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): We'll be asking questions but look, the president always gets the benefit of the doubt on his nominees.
RAJU (voice-over): But there's little margin for error since just four GOP defections could derail the nomination with all Democrats in the 5347 GOP Senate likely to oppose him.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): This nomination is doomed.
RAJU: Several GOP senators are undecided, including Joni Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault who has spoken out against such crimes in the military, and told CNN today she planned to have a, quote, "frank and thorough conversation" with Hegseth later this week. All of it key demands amid undecided senators for more information about Hegseth's past.
What's your level of concern about him right now? SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): As I've repeatedly said to you, I believe
that we need an FBI background check to evaluate the allegations.
RAJU (voice-over): Hegseth has faced a series of damaging stories, including about a 2017 incident when a woman alleged he sexually assaulted her in a California hotel room, but no charges were filed as Hegseth entered into a financial settlement with the accuser and later contended their interaction was consensual.
PETE HEGSETH, TRUMP'S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared.
RAJU: This week, the "New Yorker" reporting that Hegseth was forced out of running two veterans groups over, quote, "serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and personal misconduct," including allegedly being intoxicated on the job. A Hegseth adviser called them outlandish claims from a petty and jealous former associate.
Mr. Mr. Hegseth, can you respond to these allegations in the "New Yorker" article?
(Voice-over): The last time the Senate voted down a cabinet nominee was in 1989. That's when George Bush's pick of John Tower to serve as Defense secretary was defeated amid allegations of womanizing and drunkenness.
Hegseth has faced similar allegations. Are the standards now just changed?
CRAMER: Well, I don't think there's much question that that the tolerance for certain things has changed. But I would say, Manu, in many respects grace abounds all the more. And I think that's not such a bad thing.
RAJU (on-camera): One of the big questions that senators have is what is contained in a whistleblower report that was reported by the "New Yorker" magazine, detailing allegations of misconduct that occurred while Pete Hegseth was running a veterans organization.
[00:20:08]
Roger Wicker, who's going to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee next year which will be in charge of considering Hegseth's nomination, told me, quote, "I'm sure we'll see it." When I asked him if he wanted to see that whistleblower report as many other Republican senators and Democrats are curious about the contents underscoring the challenges that Hegseth has ahead.
Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, protests in Georgia show no sign of slowing down as thousands marched through the streets accusing the ruling party turning away from the West and cozying up to Russia. Details ahead. Plus, world leaders are practically lining up outside Donald Trump's
home. Find out who's on the guest list and what they're hoping to accomplish.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: For six straight night police in the Georgia capital of Tbilisi clashed with pro-European Union protesters using water cannons and tear gas to push them away from the parliament building.
The former Soviet republic has been rocked by demonstrations after the ruling Georgian Dream Party announced it would delay E.U. membership talks until 2028. Most Georgians support joining the E.U. and critics are accusing the government of following authoritarian and pro-Russian policies.
More now from CNN's Matthew Chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After another night of mayhem on the streets of Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia is now torn between Russia and the West.
Protesters here furious their government seen as increasingly close to the Kremlin is delaying further talks to join the European Union.
NIA TKHELIDZE, RESIDENT: We should be the members of European family and unfortunately our government tries the best not to let us and not to allow us.
GIORGI BAGRATION DAVITASHVILI, RESIDENT: I think Georgian government thinks that Georgia is Russian and we will act as a Russian peoples do, and no one will come out in the street if others are beaten, and if others are disrespected. But they are wrong in this, you know, this is Georgia and Georgian people are not like that.
CHANCE: For years now, the conservative ruling party, the Georgian Dream, has denied any formal links with the Kremlin. But by passing repressive laws like limiting civil society and gay rights similar to those in Russia, it's thrown into question the country's future with the West.
Over in Ukraine, a daily sobering reminder for Georgians of the price of defying Moscow. Georgia suffered a brief war of its own with Russia in 2008, but avoiding this devastation of their Ukrainian neighbors in a conflict that began with a popular uprising known as the Maidan, is what the Georgian ruling party says now justifies its crackdown.
[00:25:21]
IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE, GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER: So the attempt to organize the Maidan in Georgia is already over. I would call everybody to keep quiet, let's say, and to keep peace in this country. So we are responsible for that. I can assure everybody that there will be peace in this country.
CHANCE: But that's not how it looks on the streets of the Georgian capital, with police and pro-Western protesters outside the embattled parliament in what looks like a pivotal standoff.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Ukraine is pressing NATO's foreign ministers to extend an invitation for membership but their meeting in Brussels likely will end without a decision. Latvia's foreign minister told Reuters that in principle leaders have agreed to Ukraine -- have agreed Ukraine will be a member but she says some members aren't comfortable bringing in a country currently at war.
They're also waiting to see where Donald Trump stands on the issue once he takes office. Trump has said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine on day one, but hasn't really said how.
Other world leaders are lining up to get on the president-elect's calendar before he takes office. As CNN's Brian Todd reports heads of state around the world are likely planning for how to approach a new Trump administration knowing what the previous one was like.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was the first world leader to congratulate President-elect Trump on his victory in November and now France's 46-year-old president Emmanuel Macron is preparing to flatter Trump again, inviting Trump to Paris this weekend for the unveiling of the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral.
MAX BOOT, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think President Macron is basically reprising his first term playbook of trying to get chummy with President Trump.
TODD: Not many leaders were as deferential to Trump as Macron was during Trump's first term, laying on the charm, treating Trump to the fanfare of a Bastille Day Parade in Paris in 2017, which impressed Trump so much that Trump said --
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: We're going to have to try and top it.
BOOT: Trump came back and demanded that his military staged their own parade through Washington, which the armed forces were not eager to do.
TODD: In recent days, another world leader, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, went to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump to appeal to Trump to back down on his threat to impose tariffs on Canada.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Prime Minister, was it a productive meeting with president-elect?
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: It was an excellent conversation.
TODD: A conversation that, according to two sources briefed on it, included Trump joking to Trudeau that if the tariffs were too tough on Canada, maybe Canada should join the U.S. as a 51st state. Trump, then posting on social media an AI generated image of him standing next to a Canadian flag in the mountains.
But Trump's audiences aren't just with Macron and Trudeau. Even before his win in November, Trump met this year with Poland's president and Britain's foreign minister, had phone calls with Saudi Arabia's crown prince and the king of Bahrain, and staged a glamor gilded event at Mar-a-Lago with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban gushing over Orban's autocratic style.
TRUMP: He said this is the way it's going to be and that's the end of it, right? He's the boss and you know he's a great leader. Fantastic leader.
TODD: Analysts say the scramble of world leaders clamoring to meet with Trump may only intensify.
JOSH ROGIN, WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST: The Trump administration is making a list and checking it twice. They want to know who's on board and who's not on board, no matter what country you're from. A dictatorship, a democracy. This is just the beginning of what will be four years of people traveling to Mar-a-Lago and Washington to kiss the ring.
TODD: And the reelected president may rekindle his kinships with strongmen. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said this to CNN's Christiane Amanpour about her impressions of Trump during his first term.
ANGELA MERKEL, FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLOR: Well, in the way that he spoke about Putin, the way that he spoke about the North Korean president, obviously apart from critical remarks he made, there was always a kind of fascination at the sheer power of what these people could do.
TODD (on-camera): The analyst we spoke to said, as chummy as these relationships with Trump are right now, these bromances all have the potential to go sour as Macron's friendship with Trump did during Trump's first term, when the two leaders clashed over the idea of a European army. And Trump then mocked Macron's low approval rating and tweeted support for his political opponents.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, President Joe Biden addressed America's horrific history of slavery while speaking at the National Museum of Slavery in Angola Tuesday. While acknowledging that slavery linked the two nations, Biden's message is hopeful for the future. Angola was the point of departure for millions of enslaved Africans, and Biden said his visit to the country is, quote, "a reminder that no nation need be permanently the adversary of another."
[00:30:14]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our people lie at the heart of the deep and profound connection that forever binds Africa and the United States together. We remember the stolen men, and women, and children who were brought to our shores in chains, subjected to unimaginable cruelty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Biden's Angola visit could be his final trip -- his final foreign trip, rather, as president. It's aimed at highlighting U.S. investments in Angola and the continent in the face of deepening Chinese influence in the region.
Well, ahead, more on the extraordinary upheaval in South Korea. Martial law declared, then called off. Is impeachment for the president next. We'll have the latest on the political turmoil.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
So, can South Korea's president keep his job? That's the pressing question after Yoon Suk Yeol made the shocking decision to declare martial law late Tuesday, setting off massive outrage, only to rescind that decree hours later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Labor unions have been chanting that they'll never go back to dictatorial dictator -- to a dictatorship, which last happened back in the 1980s.
Protesters have been rallying outside Parliament, and opposition lawmakers have threatened to begin impeachment proceedings if the president doesn't resign.
Mr. Yoon postponed his first public meeting for Wednesday, while likely mulling his next move. His chief of staff, as well as many senior secretaries, have already resigned.
An emergency meeting between South Korea's prime minister and ruling party leaders was set to begin about half an hour ago. It's unclear whether President Yoon would attend.
CNN's Will Ripley has a closer look at the situation and how it unfolded. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): South Korea's biggest political crisis in decades, ending almost as quickly as it began.
YOON SUK YEOL, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): President Yoon Suk Yeol vowing to overturn his surprise declaration of martial law, hours after Parliament voted unanimously against it.
(CHANTING)
RIPLEY (voice-over): South Korea's first declaration of military rule in more than 40 years igniting massive protests in Seoul.
[00:35:08]
Despite months of political gridlock, bitter clashes with opposition leaders, and mounting public frustration, almost nobody saw this coming.
JOHN NILSSON-WRIGHT, HEAD OF JAPAN AND KOREAS PROGRAM, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE: This is an enormous overreaction by the president, to say the very least. But for him to escalate in this way is really, frankly, bizarre.
(CHANTING)
RIPLEY (voice-over): Chaos outside the National Assembly. Inside, an emergency session, Parliament voting unanimously, 190 to 0, to overturn martial law just 150 minutes after Yoon's shocking order.
The vote, a rare moment of unity in South Korea's deeply divided legislature.
Opposition leaders described the president's move as an unprecedented assault on democracy.
LEE JAE-MYUNG, SOUTH KOREAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Tanks, armored personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country. The judicial system is suspended, and an emergency martial law regime, where soldiers deliver a summary judgment, has begun.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Veteran South Korean journalist Kenneth Choi says the nation is in collective shock.
KENNETH CHOI, JOURNALIST: Everybody is flabbergasted. The very essence of our democracy has probably come to a halt.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The road ahead, uncertain.
President Yoon's popularity was already plummeting. Now, some are calling for him to resign.
Underlying issues -- political polarization, economic struggles, and public discontent -- remain unresolved. South Korea's democracy may have withstood this test, but serious questions remain.
RIPLEY: The immediate question: how much longer can President Yoon stay in office? He's being accused of treason by some. There are growing calls for his impeachment.
South Korea does have a long history of holding its leaders accountable. They've been a democracy for the last 40 years or so, and four South Korean presidents have gone to jail on various charges after leaving office, either corruption and bribery, or abuse of power and human rights violations.
Now we watch to see what happens in Seoul.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, I want to welcome from Seoul retired republic of Korean Army Lieutenant General In-Bum Chun.
Good to have you with us.
LT. GEN. IN-BUM CHUN (RET.), KOREAN ARMY: Thank you for the invitation.
KINKADE: So, for six hours, South Korea was under emergency martial law. What does that mean, in terms of the power the president commands upon that declaration?
IN-BUM: Basically, it restricts all civil liberties of the individual.
Martial law is required, because we have a legitimate threat from North Korea. And when a crisis occurs, martial law is a main method of maintaining law and order and -- in Korea. And in some cases, it has been used to -- for political means.
KINKADE: It seems to be the case here. I mean, does this declaration of martial law suggest that President Yoon was attempting to shut down political activity, lock out opposition lawmakers, perhaps even censor the media? What was his objective?
IN-BUM: So, I think President Yoon, although I can't speak for him, believes that the current situation -- the gridlock of the politicians, the polarization of politics, the attempted impeachment of his senior aides, and the unilateral attempt to pass next year's budget -- all of this, he had enough.
I think he believed that it was a threat, a challenge to Korean democracy. And so, he declared martial law.
KINKADE: And so, talk to us about the reaction there, because South Korea has been a democracy for over 40 years. Prior to that, there was a dictatorship, right? So, is that at all comparable to martial law?
IN-BUM: Yes. We've had ten martial laws declared in our history. The last one was 45 years ago. And the Koreans have a bad memory of this.
And who would have thought that in this day and age, that martial law would be declared? But it happened. And it was a surprise for all of us.
KINKADE: And not just a surprise for people within South Korea. I mean, the U.S., which is South Koreas closest ally, wasn't told about it.
And we're now hearing that the U.S. has told its military personnel stationed in South Korea not to gather near crowds, to avoid non- essential travel.
How would you describe the security situation right now?
[00:40:04]
IN-BUM: The security situation is pretty stable. You hear a lot of that kind of scare stories, but in actuality, Korea is a place where we've been able to successfully deal with these kinds of crises.
And so, this event -- I would call it an event -- is something in passing. The aftermath, there's going to be a lot of confusion, but it's not as bad as one would think.
KINKADE: And it seems, given that he didn't have --
IN-BUM: Just a normal day in Korea.
KINKADE: Kind of. Well, good to get your perspective on all of that. Lieutenant General, retired Lieutenant General In-Bum Chun in Seoul. Thanks very much.
IN-BUM: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, the situation in South Korea did catch the U.S. officials off-guard, as I mentioned, according to a National Security Council spokesperson, who noted there were concerns about the lack of notice.
President Joe Biden was asked about the issue while traveling in Angola.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, anything on South Korea? Martial law?
BIDEN: Just getting briefed on it. I'm just getting briefed. I haven't heard anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement after the martial law order was lifted, saying in part, "We welcome President Yoon's statement that he would rescind the order declaring emergency martial law after the National Assembly's unanimous vote to reject the declaration. We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law."
Well, still to come, a major development in the more than three-week search for a missing Hawaiian woman, Hannah Kobayashi.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
Los Angeles Police have now declared Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi a voluntary missing person after surveillance video from the border showed the 30-year-old crossing into Mexico.
The development coming more than three weeks after she went missing.
CNN's Nick Watt explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF JIM MCDONNELL, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: We reviewed video surveillance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which clearly shows Kobayashi crossing the United States border on foot into Mexico.
She was alone with her luggage and appeared unharmed.
NICK WATT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mystery remains, but the LAPD is no longer searching for Hannah Kobayashi, who they now say is voluntary missing.
MCDONNELL: She has a right to her privacy, and we respect her choices.
WATT (voice-over): But Kobayashi's family and friends say they still haven't heard from her, and it's now more than three weeks since this.
"I can't explain all of it," she texted a friend November 11th. "Deep hackers wiped my identity, stole all of my funds."
WATT (voice-over): To date, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked or is the victim of foul play.
[00:40:05]
She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity.
WATT (voice-over): Here's what we know.
Before leaving Hawaii, the 30-year-old photographer, supposedly en route to a gig in New York, expressed a desire to disconnect from what police call "modern connectivity." UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know she doesn't have her phone on her. For what
reason? We can't -- we can't say for sure.
WATT (voice-over): November 8, Kobayashi landed in L.A. with an ex. He made the connection to New York. She did not.
She was spotted at the Grove Shopping Mall and elsewhere, seen with a man near the Crypto.com arena.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have identified that individual. That individual was cooperative in the investigation.
WATT (voice-over): But unclear if he shed any light on this mystery that has fed wild conspiracy theories, from cults, to hackers, to kidnapers.
Her father flew to L.A. to find her.
RYAN KOBAYASHI, HANNAH'S FATHER: We're going to find Hannah. We'll get her. Yes.
WATT (voice-over): Ryan Kobayashi searched for his daughter for nearly two weeks. He did not find her and took his own life.
As you can imagine, the family is devastated. Hannah's aunt told reporters, "We also want to make it clear Ryan died of a broken heart."
November 11th, Kobayashi picked up her luggage from LAX, took a metro to Union Station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She used her passport and cash to purchase a ticket to get to the border.
WATT (voice-over): Police say she crossed into Mexico November 12 at 12:13 p.m. at San Isidro, South of San Diego.
MCDONNELL: We've basically done everything we can do at this point. She's left the nation, left the country, and in another nation now. So --
WATT: Hannah Kobayashi's family is still looking for answers. They released a statement that reads, in part, "Our family remains hopeful that Hannah is safe and urges everyone to continue the search. The search is far from over, and we are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely."
They also cautioned people not to reach, quote, "speculative conclusions."
This case has, of course, spawned many a conspiracy theory.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Well, severe weather has forced rescuers to suspend their search for two Americans and a Canadian climber who went missing while trying to summit New Zealand's highest mountain.
Kurt Blair and Carlos Romero and a Canadian man who has not been identified were last seen Saturday when they flew by helicopter to a camp on Mount Cook.
Rescuers say they found climbing gear believed to belong to the three men, before they had to put the search on hold. They hope to resume on Thursday once conditions improve.
Well, more details are emerging about how a Russian woman was able to stowaway on board a flight from New York to Paris. We'll have the details on how she avoided security, next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has withdrawn from consideration just three days after the president- elect announced his choice.
In a post on X, Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister said he decided to withdraw, quote, "as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in."
He said he appreciated the nomination and will continue working for the citizens of his country.
[00:50:03]
He's now the second of Trump's pick to withdraw from a potential role in the next term, following Matt -- Matt Gaetz's decision to not seek the attorney general post.
Well, a Russian woman who stowed away on a flight from New York to Paris last week will be flown back to the U.S. in the coming hours.
The U.S. Transportation Secretary [SIC] Administration is revealing that she managed to sneak on-board a Delta flight by going through a lane reserved for airline flight crews.
CNN's Polo Sandoval explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another failed attempt in France, as authorities again tried to send back a woman accused of stowing away on a flight from New York to Paris last week, evading multiple security checkpoints.
A Paris airport official tells CNN she boarded a Delta flight at Charles de Gaulle Airport, but that the airline refused to fly her. It was not the first attempt to return the 57-year-old Russian
national and U.S. green card holder to the United States. Passenger cell phone video captured the woman causing a disturbance before flight took off from Paris on Saturday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help me! I don't want to go to United States.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): She was also removed from that New York-bound flight, recalls Gary Treichler, who was sitting right across the aisle.
GARY TREICHLER, PASSENGER: What I saw was basically this lady that was progressively getting more and more irate and raising her voice louder and louder and was ultimately restrained with handcuffs and yellow twist ties and held down by three individuals.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Delta Airlines, not commenting about its decision to kick her off today's flight or elaborating on the initial security breach.
In a previous statement, a spokesperson for the airline wrote, in part, "Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred."
TSA says before stowing away on this flight last week, the woman slipped past TSA officers at JFK checking boarding passes. They add she, and her carry-on bags, were screened but that she somehow bypassed I.D. verification at the gate.
A source familiar with the incident said she evaded detection in flight because the plane wasn't full, though passengers previously told CNN she hid by moving between lavatories.
SANDOVAL: And investigators have had a chance to actually review surveillance video from JFK from just a little over a week ago. They say they now have a better idea of what actually happened here.
According to one law enforcement official who's briefed on this investigation, he says that authorities have been able to establish that this woman likely blended with two separate groups that were traveling at JFK the day that she stowed away on that flight. And they believe that one of the contributing factors were the massive crowds that were traveling just days before Thanksgiving.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: For more, we're joined by CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien.
Good to have you with us, Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Hi, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, this is such an unbelievable story. This woman got all the way through the security checks at JFK airport, caught a flight to Paris. What's your understanding about how this unfolded?
O'BRIEN: Well, details are slowly emerging. It's a bit murky.
But I think the one takeaway which we should keep in mind here, Lynda, is that perhaps the most crucial step along the way in the path toward better security, the screening of individuals and their personal effects did, in fact, happen in this case.
There were several other failures which this person was able to circumvent. A lot of checks of I.D.s and passports and so forth.
But at least once the individual got on the airplane, we can assume that they did not have anything on their person that could have really caused some harm.
So, what happened? Well, we do know all you need to do to get into the security bubble is any boarding pass. You know, the TSA doesn't follow you to your gate, as you know. And once you get past them, you can go anywhere.
So, if an individual, for example, just hypothetically, purchased a domestic ticket, presented themselves to TSA and walked in, and then was inside the bubble, they could make their way to that Paris flight and then try to find their way on-board.
There is, of course, one last check, which is the gate agent who is watching the door to the jetway. What happened there, we don't know.
KINKADE: Right. Yes. You have to wonder how things transpired at that point in time.
Of course, she was due to be flown back to New York on Saturday, but apparently screamed, saying, "You can't take me there without a court order." And she was apparently -- they tried to get her back again on Tuesday, and it didn't happen. How hard is it to bring her back?
O'BRIEN: Well, she's making it difficult, isn't she? She really doesn't want to be in the United States right now. But she is a Russian citizen with a U.S. green card, which means she would need a special visa to get into France inside what's known as the Schengen line. She didn't have that.
[00:55:00]
And so, the way the treaties and the agreements are worked out between the governments and the airlines is the airline who presents a passenger without the right papers at a destination has to return that individual to the point of origin and pay fines and penalties.
So, the airlines have a lot of incentive to get this right. And they are compelled to make it good.
However, this individual is not a very pleasant seatmate, to say the least. And so, Delta has been sort of taking its time on trying to figure out how to do this in a way that doesn't adversely impact everybody in coach class. KINKADE: I mean, it certainly sounds that they're going to send her
back to New York with quite a few U.S. marshals, or at least French border police.
But as you say, she was a Russian passenger and apparently had said, "Please help me. The United States has broken my heart."
But I have to ask you, like, what does this say about the TSA and airlines, that she can make it all the way on board the flight across the other side of the world as a stowaway? And how unusual is it to even hear about stowaways on a plane?
O'BRIEN: Well, the fact that we're talking about it says something about that, for sure, Lynda. This is not a common thing.
I looked it up. There were 18.3 million individuals just in the U.S. who boarded airplanes during the busy Thanksgiving weekend, and one person was able to do this.
Is that a huge security breach? Well, I'm sure we can't say that. Is it a reminder that there has to be a level of attentiveness all the way down the line to maintain that security? For sure.
You know, aviation is not forgiving of little mistakes. And this is one of those.
It's good she was screened physically. That's a -- that would have been a much bigger deal, I think. And Delta has got to think about its procedures, getting people onto airplanes, particularly at a busy time when it's quite a bit -- you know, as you're funneling to that door, we all know what a scrum it can become.
And an individual might be able to take advantage of that and find their way on the plane, going across the Atlantic, going from bathroom to bathroom, which is what it appears she did.
KINKADE: It certainly is an interesting story. Miles O'Brien, CNN aviation analyst. As always, thanks so much.
O'BRIEN: You're welcome, Lynda.
KINKADE: Great story.
Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back in just a few minutes with much more news. Stay with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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