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Connect the World
CNN International: U.N. Conference Aimed at Restoring Land, Responding to Drought; Saudi Arabia Set to Turn 30 Percent of Land into Nature Reserves; Payout was Approved by Shareholders in June, but Some Sued to Block it; Judge Blocks Musk's Tesla Pay Package for Second Time; Delta Refuses to Fly Stowaway Passengers Back to U.S.; South Korean President Declares Martial Law. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired December 03, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, hello and welcome to what is a special edition of "Connect the World" on this busy Tuesday. I'm
Becky Anderson in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where world leaders are gathered for the COP-16 Conference on desertification, dubbed our land our future.
And this is important, the deserts of the Middle East are fitting backdrop for a conversation on land degradation. Well, the presence of the French
President at the Summit today a clear sign that this is a global fight. While Macron visits this region, the Emir of Qatar is in the United
Kingdom, touring Westminster Abbey on a state visit that began just hours ago.
As a key negotiator in the past year and or more between Israel and Hamas, Qatar, an important player here in this region, now working to underscore
the closeness of two regions, Europe, the UK and the Middle East. And as NATO Foreign Ministers gather in Brussels to focus on supporting Ukraine in
its fight against Russia.
Secretary General Mark Rutte is this hour welcoming King Abdullah of Jordan on a day then of diplomacy as regional leaders work with global partners to
tackle some of the most important problems of our time and build for the future.
Let's start with the conflict tensions growing here in the Middle East, as Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of breaking that fragile ceasefire
in Lebanon. On Monday, Israel launched its largest wave of strikes yet, since the deal with Hezbollah took effect last week. Lebanese officials say
nine people were killed that came after Hezbollah fired into Israeli occupied territory for the first time during this truce.
Israel's Defense Minister warns his country will target the Lebanese state, not just Hezbollah, if this ceasefire falls apart. CNN's Jeremy Diamond,
connecting us with the details today from Jerusalem. And to remind our viewers who have been up in the north of Israel over the past weeks
assessing what is going on there for communities who have been displaced as a result of this conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. What's your
assessment of the past day or so of these strikes as they have seemingly escalated?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the ceasefire is now facing its biggest test to date, Becky, a very tenuous moment during
which the parties will effectively have to decide whether to continue to escalate what could quickly devolve into a tit-for-tat once again between
Israel and Hezbollah, or whether to find some kind of an off ramp to allow this ceasefire to continue, albeit a fragile one at that.
What we have seen over the course of the last week is nearly every single day the Israeli military has conducted strikes in Southern Lebanon, some of
those south of the Litani River, where Hezbollah is meant to leave its military positions and move north. But some of those strikes have also been
north of the Litani River as well.
Israel insists that these strikes are to enforce this ceasefire agreement, saying that they are responding to Hezbollah militants who are violating
these -- this ceasefire understanding. But the Lebanese government and now also the United States and France are raising serious questions, and some
of them making accusations that Israel is violating the ceasefire.
One source with UNIFIL telling our colleague, Tamara Qiblawi that there have been hundred Israeli violations of the ceasefire over the course of
the last week. And now, of course, the Israeli Defense Minister is now warning that should Lebanon not find a way to get Hezbollah into compliance
with this ceasefire, that the outbreak of war this time will not spare the Lebanese government, that they could now become a party to this conflict,
and that Israel will strike them as well.
ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. President-Elect saying, quote, there will be all hell to pay in the Middle East if the hostages held in Gaza are not
released by his Inauguration Day. So, let's get to that cease fire and hostage deal. I wonder what we read into what Donald Trump has said and
what we understand to be going on behind the scenes, if anything, in any momentum towards further talks on a deal.
[09:05:00]
DIAMOND: Well, it certainly seems like these negotiations have somewhat restarted, albeit quietly and very much behind the scenes, with a Hamas
delegation traveling to Cairo in recent days, the mediators apparently exchanging proposals and ideas, trying to gage the possibility of reaching
a deal.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
DIAMOND: We know that U.S. and Israeli officials have both indicated that they believe that the time is ripe now, in the wake of this ceasefire with
Hezbollah, with Hamas feeling more isolated than ever, perhaps, to reach a deal that one that Israel would agree to, because they believe that Hamas
would make perhaps further concessions.
We still don't really know what the red lines are on both sides and to what extent they have shifted in recent weeks? But there's no question that
President-Elect Trump is now days after a hostage being held by Hamas, an American hostage released was part of a video that was released by Hamas, a
hostage video, speaking under duress, urging the president-elect to use his influence to reach a deal.
President-Elect Trump now speaking out and vowing severe consequences for Hamas, saying that they will have all hell to pay, in a way that kind of
almost suggested U.S. military action against Hamas in Gaza. And again, this is obviously a pressure tactic and perhaps one that could help the
ongoing negotiating efforts.
But the real question is, if there isn't a deal by the time he comes into office, which is a very real possibility, then what does that response look
like? What does the follow through on that threat actually look like? Becky,
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Look, let's get you some breaking news just coming into CNN from South Korea. The South
Korean President has just declared martial law in a late-night TV address. We haven't got any further detail on that. As we get it, of course, we will
get it straight to you. But just a repeat on this breaking news into CNN, the South Korean President has just declared martial law in a late-night TV
address.
Back to this region and Syrian and Russian forces intensifying aerial attacks against rebel fighters who've captured a broad stretch of territory
in Northern Syria in recent days. And it has come at a huge cost. UN says Syrian Army air strikes have killed dozens of civilians caught in the
middle of the fighting and have displaced nearly 50,000 people in less than a week.
The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting in the coming hours to address the escalation in fighting. CNN's Ben Wedeman following this
rapidly developing story for us. And we'll get to whether or not you think there's any -- anything to be done by the UN Security Council on this?
Briefly, let's start on the ground though, what more are you learning about the escalation in fighting Ben and the civilians caught in the middle?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we're seeing Becky is that the rebel forces led by -- that faction previously
known as Gamal Abdel Nasser, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, seems to be closing in on the central Syrian City of Hama,
which has a population of about a million.
The rebels have basically doubled the amount of territory they controlled within the spade of four -- space of four days. They now control a large
stretch of the M5 Highway, which is the North South highway linking Aleppo to Damascus. Now, by some estimates, they're within about eight kilometers
to the Northeast of Hama.
And keep in mind, Hama, symbolically is very important, because that's where, in early 1982 the father of Bashar Al Assad, Hafez Al Assad put down
a revolt by the Muslim brotherhood surrounding the city and killing, by conservative estimates, more than 10,000 people. So, this is a city where,
even though the Syrian government seems to be in control at the moment, it's not very beloved by the local population, which will probably, if
given the opportunity, assist the rebels in taking back control of that city Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben, the U.S. and Europe, amongst others, calling for de- escalation and the implementation of what is known as UN Resolution 2254 -- 2254. Now, that was approved nine years ago. You and I talked about it at
length over the years. It called for a Syrian led political solution to the conflict.
Frankly, let's be honest here. I mean that resolution is old now, so it'll be interesting to see what comes out of this emergency meeting at the UN
Security Council, if anything.
[09:10:00]
Look the region has changed significantly, not least with Israel degrading both Iran and Hezbollah over recent weeks, two key allies for President
Assad. The president will be gaming out what happens next? What are the Syrian President's options at this point in what is this new look Middle
East?
WEDEMAN: Well certainly, he is weakened in ways that he hasn't been in years. But he does have options. He does, for instance, he can, for
instance, just simply give up on Northern Syria, on Aleppo. Basically, the Turks control the Northwest. The Kurds, backed up by the United States,
control the Northeast.
What's most important for the regime of Bashar Al Assad is control of the Capital Damascus. The city of Homs which is an important stop along the way
to the Mediterranean Coast, which is also the most critical thing for the control by the regime, because that is the homeland of the Alawite
majority, to which Bashar Al Assad belongs.
It's also, of course, where the Russians have an air base and a naval base. Their only naval base on the Mediterranean. So, in a sense, if they receive
enough assistance from the Russians, from the Iranians, of course, who are preoccupied at the moment with other things, from Hezbollah, which is
unlikely, given the beating it's taken from Israel over the last year or so.
But if it has enough assistance, it might be able to survive in that rump state. But what we're seeing is that the Syrian army, in its current form,
is simply struggling to even retreat in an organized manner, let alone hold on to ground. So, if help is coming from Russia, from Iran, from Hezbollah,
it better come very quickly Becky.
ANDERSON: It will be interesting to see whether there is pressure from this Gulf region on President Assad to actually begin to say goodbye to the to
the Iranians in Syria that will be -- that would be a big story if that were to be the case. Let's see if that goes anywhere. Certainly, there is
some speculation, and that is the -- that is the narrative from the Gulf at this point. Thank you, Ben.
Well, during the early part of that shock rebel offensive in Syria, Saudi Arabia's De Facto Leader was making a long-awaited visit to the United Arab
Emirates. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met Sunday with the UAE's Leader Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed. These two leaders over the past couple of
years, agreeing, of course, to bring Assad in from the cold after years of isolation by Arab countries during the Civil War.
Now the official Saudi media described that trip by the Crown Prince to the UAE as a private visit. And the UAE's official news agency says the two
Royals focused on the new crises in the Middle East. Their face-to-face meeting came just days ahead of Thursday's OPEC Plus oil policy meeting.
Well, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East will be on the agenda at NATO today, as will, of course, the war in Ukraine now grinding into its
third year. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced another weapons package to the country. Russia says the military aid worth
$725 million shows that the Biden Administration wants to keep the conflict going.
Well, on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved his own record- breaking defense spending, which will amount to a third of Russia's budget. Well, a reminder of the breaking news that we are following out of South
Korea, the president there has just declared martial law in a late-night TV address.
We are working to get more information on this, and we will bring it to you right after this short break. That and much more from here at COP-16 about
the effort to slow down global droughts and restore once fertile lands to key issues at the center of discussions here in Riyadh.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
ANDERSON: Well, breaking news to bring you from South Korea. The South Korean President has just declared martial law in a late-night TV address.
Let's get you to our Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Matthew Chance, joining me now, and what do we know at this point?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Becky, look not a great deal at the moment. This is an announcement that comes from the South
Korean Presidency that has taken the entire region, I think, by surprise. Certainly, we don't understand yet what the specific threat is that the
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is actually referring to.
But he said he's announced this martial law in order to safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and
anti-state elements. Now when it comes to the threat that North Korea poses, of course, the two countries, North Korea and South Korea, have been
-- you know, officially at war for many decades.
It's not clear whether this is response -- a response to any kind of specific threat, military threat, from North Korea, or whether it's just a
more sort of general concern about the threat that North Korea poses? The anti-state elements that President Yoon speaks of, as well as a reason for
this martial law.
It's not clear what they are, but we do know that as the President of South Korea, he has been at odds with the Parliament of the country and is
opposed to has got lots of opposition within the country, political opposition, indeed, from those opposition forces over the course of the
past few minutes, we're seeing reported that this declaration of martial law has been rejected by the Head of the Parliament, the Head of the
Governing Party, the Head of the Opposition.
We understand that the -- from the Yonhap News Agency, which is the state news agency in South Korea, that the entrance to the part to the parliament
building has been blocked. But remember, it's late at night in South Korea right now. It's not clear yet if there's been a public reaction to this
surprise announcement of martial law.
But it's certainly true that in the coming hours, that news will filter through to people, and that people will be waking up to what could be a
very new and unexpected situation in that country, Becky.
ANDERSON: South Korea's President, declares an emergency martial law says that measures are necessary to protect the country from the North's
communist forces. Good to have you. We'll let you go do some more work on this, and we'll get you back as soon as you have more. Thank you. Returning
to our top story here in Saudi Arabia, the UN Deputy Secretary General explaining the crisis that we are here covering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMINA J. MOHAMMED, U.N. DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL: Land sustains us, and we are destroying it. Action cannot wait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We are at COP-16 and a strong message from the United Nation's Deputy Secretary General, speaking on Monday at the opening of the Land
COP, as it's known here in Saudi Arabia.
[09:20:00]
She called on those taking part in the conference to help quote, turn the tide on some of the biggest global crises, including land degradation and
worsening droughts. Now, drought has surged nearly 30 percent in frequency and intensity since the year 2000.
That threatens agriculture, it threatens water security, and puts the lives and livelihoods of some 1.8 billion people at risk. The head of the U.N.
agency leading the conference says drought is the world's most pervasive and most disruptive environmental disaster. I asked him about the cost to
combat drought and work towards restoring degraded land.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM THIAW, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF U.N. CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION: We need $2.3 trillion by 2030, but if you look at the
world as it is today, that is the budget we spent this year or last year on defense. And that is the exact amount that we are spending on
environmentally harmful subsidies.
According to our own data, up to -- close to 70 percent of the needs right now are provided by domestic resources in terms of land restoration, 22
percent coming from ODA, Official Development Assistance, and only 6 percent coming from the private sector. So, we need to certainly increase
the contribution from the private sector for themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, here in the host country, Saudi Arabia, combating the issue of desertification, this is effectively when land becomes impossible to
work with on and for its quickly becoming a pressing issue. Three quarters of the land suitable for growing crops in the region has already been
degraded.
Part of the kingdom's plan is to restore that land, and it involves transforming huge swathes of desert, including a national park that was
once hundreds of kilometers of barren sand. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Here. They call this gold. It's one of the toughest types of soil to grow plants in.
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM ALISSA, MANAGER OF THADIQ NATIONAL PARK RESTORATION PROJECT: We've succeeded in growing extinct bushes that went extinct 50
years ago.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Abdullah Alissa, a local who grew up in this area, is now the manager of this project.
ALISSA: Here in this park, this place was once just a vast desert covered in sand dunes. I lived here with my community in tents 25 years ago. Thanks
to the ministry, the community and all the support we've received, we've been able to transform it to become suitable for people from anywhere
Riyadh and any other place around the kingdom.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Thadiq is located almost two hours' drive north of Riyadh, deep within Saudi Arabia's vast arid interior. Lines of freshly
grown trees, shrubs and bushes, as far as the eye can see. Breathing new life into what was once barren land. Thadiq National Park is more than a
modern-day desert oasis.
It's a blueprint for successful land restoration across the Middle East. Efforts to transform this 600 square kilometer area began seven years ago,
funded by the community and local families. This is part of the Saudi Green Initiative, a key component of the kingdom's vision 2030, a bold economic
growth plan aimed at restoring vast swathes of desert, both within Saudi Arabia and across the region.
ALISSA: We are following the kingdom's vision. After it was announced, everyone was encouraged to make a change, families, communities and
companies. Everyone came together to make a difference, develop the country and build new initiatives.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The kingdom is set to transform its landscape, turning 30 percent of the land into nature reserves, planting 10 billion
trees and revitalizing 40 million hectares of desert. There are plans to grow a further 400 million trees across this region in the coming decades.
[09:25:00]
All part of the Saudi green initiative, part of the kingdom's vision 2030. In Thadiq today tan all overseen by Abdullah. 250,000 trees and a billion
shrubs have already been planted, and a complex network of terraces and dams constructed to catch the rain water.
ALISSA: We rely on rain to grow everything here, and also the terraces made of stones that we built to prevent floods and to stabilize the soil and to
distribute water and increase the amount of water needed to irrigate the land. So, we built more than 100 stone terraces,
ANDERSON (voice-over): 70 kilometers of paved hiking trails now crisscross the park. Thadiq is an emerging tourist destination for day trippers and an
economic resource for the local community.
ALISSA: We are so lucky with our community and families who are supporting in afforestation of the area. So, most of the work is done here, from
building to turning the area green, it's all community work.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Thadiq National Park is proof that with ambition, collaboration and commitment, desertification is reversible. That new life,
new opportunity, can flourish in once barren land. It's a message that delegates at COP 16 back in Riyadh would do well to heed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And more from COP 16 later in the show. Returning to our breaking news, and we are following this out of South Korea, the president there has
declared martial law in a late-night TV address. New video here of that announcement made by Yoon Suk Yeol on National TV just after 10:30 in the
evening.
In his address, he said the move was necessary to protect against North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti state elements. Well CNN's
Mike Valerio joining us now from Seoul, Mike.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, I can tell you, I ran over here to the bureau, I believe just a couple minutes away, we are in the
heart of Seoul. And police are on their phones, calling each other, calling families and loved ones, asking, what is going on to say that this has
thrown the country into disarray.
Its perhaps the understatement of the evening right here, as you mentioned, an unplanned televised address saying that martial law is needed in this
bastion of stability in East Asia in order to weed out the country of pro North Korea, quote, unquote, pro-communist forces.
Certainly, the government of Yoon Suk Yeol, conservative politician here in South Korea, very weak since he was elected into office several years ago.
The opposition now, the leaders of the opposition forces heading to Parliament a couple kilometers away from where we're broadcasting at the
moment, saying that this is an illegal move and doing what they can in the next few hours to reverse this.
So, Becky, the country finds itself in a state of martial law for the first time since the era of military dictatorship ended in the 1980s. And what we
are trying to figure out is how exactly declaring martial law forwards the goals that the president set out in his speech of trying to weed out anti
North Korean and anti-communist forces.
He told the nation and told members of the National Assembly in his televised address that the government that he presides over has been, in
his view, paralyzed with opposition forces members of the National Assembly trying to impeach him and trying to impeach several ministers in the
government.
But why exactly, the opposition forces trying to exert their constitutional power has led to this historic move in an instant. That is what we are all
asking ourselves. So, there are family members, in addition to police, who are out late at night trying to figure out what they need to do to be safe.
It certainly is a situation that is developing by the minute. Nobody is quite sure what to do, but there are protesters who are heading to the
National Assembly to make their voices known, and they are clashing with police. We're going to check in and see what's going on there, but in the
meantime, Becky, we will send it back to you.
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you. We'll let you go. We'll have you back as soon as you have more. That's the breaking news out of South Korea.
Mike is on the story for you. We will be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. And you are watching, "Connect the World". And wherever you are watching, you
are more than welcome. This is a live look at the markets in New York. They have just opened a few minutes ago.
It's just after half past 9 in the morning there, you can see the DOW up, but just marginally, these are very mixed markets on the open. Elon Musk's
$100 billion Tesla pay package has been blocked by a Delaware judge again. Tesla shareholders approved the payout in June, when it was worth $58
billion, but some of them sued, arguing that the compensation plan was unfair and not in their best interests.
So far, the judge has agreed that package consists of 303 million Tesla share options, which, of course, reflect a higher share price at this
point. CNN's Clare Duffy is in Washington. How is this going to be perceived at this point? There's one thing about what the judge -- the
decision that the judge makes, there will be another enormous amount of spin put on this. So, let's assess where we stand.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, Becky, it is interesting. This is the same judge that rejected this pay package back in January. Then you had
this Tesla shareholder vote over the summer that approved the package, but she again, has rejected it, and she said that just because the majority of
shareholders rejected or approved this pay package doesn't mean that it was in their best interest.
She also said that the Tesla board, which is made up of many of Elon Musk's friends, his brother, is too close to Musk, and therefore wasn't deciding
in shareholders' best interests. But it's interesting timing, because at the same -- back in June, when the shareholder vote was happening, the
board said that Elon Musk needed this compensation package to stay fully engaged in Tesla, rather than his many other projects.
Well, we now know that Elon Musk has taken on an important role in the incoming Trump Administration. He'll be running this department of
government efficiency. So interesting that they were hoping this was going to help him stay more engaged. This has been rejected.
Maybe they lose out on that sort of leverage that they thought they would have. Elon Musk has also himself said that if he didn't earn this pay
package, which would give him a greater percentage of ownership in Tesla, that he wouldn't want to build advanced AI inside of the company, that he
would look to do that elsewhere.
[09:35:00]
So again, maybe a bummer for shareholders in that respect. Now, Tesla has said that it will appeal this decision by the judge again. So, this is not
over. But for now, Elon Musk certainly going to be missing out on a big payday, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And President Joe Biden
is in Angola at this hour, becoming the first sitting U.S. President to visit the sub-Saharan African nation. He met with the Angolan President at
the presidential palace.
Their meeting comes as Mr. Biden seeks to highlight the U.S.'s commitment to the oil rich country and efforts to boost investment there, as China
makes deep inroads in the region. Well, a verdict is expected any moment in a murder case that sparked outrage in Italy.
22-year-old Filippo Torretta admitted to fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend last year. The killing was set off fervent protests against femicide,
prosecutors are requesting life in prison. And nearly two years since protests erupted in Iran under the banner of women life freedom, the
country's hardline parliament has passed a new chastity and hijab bill.
It establishes a complex system of fines and restrictions for women and men judged to be violating a strictly defined dress code. The new law is
expected to come into effect later this month. I want to get you back to our breaking news out of South Korea and the president there declaring
martial law in a late-night TV address.
Yoon Suk Yeol made the announcement just after 10:30 in the evening local time, saying that the move was necessary to protect against North Korea's
communist forces and to eliminate anti state elements. More on that right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get you back to our breaking news in the South Korean President declaring martial law in a late-night TV address. CNN's Mike
Valerio joining us now from Seoul. Mike, I know the detail pretty sketchy at this point. What do we know?
VALERIO: Well, we have disturbing details that are just crossing the Reuters wire, Becky, as our colleagues and team of journalists are sorting
through what this means Reuters reporting at this hour that all media in South Korea are coming under the control of martial law command in South
Korea.
What that means for us here at CNN? Unclear. Our Bureau is broadcasting from the heart of Seoul, South Korea, but protesters, according to
information that is just coming into our bureau here, are being told by law enforcement that they can be arrested without any warrant in this new
chapter of martial law that has begun just about an hour, an hour and a half ago.
[09:40:00]
So, to bring our viewers up to speed, what exactly we're dealing with here, the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, comes on TV in an unannounced
address to the nation and says Becky, because of what he described as elements of government that are, from his view, sympathetic to North Korea,
to communist forces.
Because of those things and others, he is declaring martial law for the first time since this country has been ruled by military dictatorship in
the 1980s. Now we are trying to sort through what this means for democracy. In this bastion of democratic rule in East Asia, I live about just a couple
minutes away from where we're broadcasting from.
There are police, Becky, who are on their phones, calling their captains, calling their colleagues, asking, what are they to do? What does this mean?
What is going on in the building that I live in? And when you're just walking through the streets, there are people who are running to their
families, homes to be with them, to figure out what to do to be close to loved ones in this moment that is unprecedented in so many of our memories.
So, Yoon Suk Yeol, the President of South Korea, did not lay out what specifically he wants to do with these martial law provisions. We're
waiting for some sort of text that outlines what powers he says he will have. But from the information that is trickling out, the leader of the
Democratic opposition party Lee Jae-myung is saying there's no way this can fly in.
And be paraphrasing what he's saying as we're taking in all this information, Becky. This is an illegal move Lee Jae-myung, the opposition
leader, says, and this has to be canceled. So, lawmakers are streaming to Parliament, but we are also seeing reports of activity at Parliament being
declared illegal as well because of these martial law regulations that apparently have come into effect.
So, to say that this is unsettling would absolutely be the understatement of the evening here at 11:42 p.m. local time on a Tuesday night. There are
whole multitudes of people across the city who are stunned and are trying to figure out how an unpopular president made this move and what is going
to happen next, and what this means for democracy here in South Korea, Becky.
ANDERSON: Stand by. I want to let you go just for the moment, because I'm sure you can spend your time wisely bringing in more information to CNN.
Thank you for the time being, I want to bring in Kenneth Choi, the International Editor for the Korean newspaper "The Chosun Ilbo". It's good
to have you. How do you assess what is going on and why?
KENNETH CHOI, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR FOR THE CHOSUN ILBO: Well, actually, a lot of people are dismayed. I've been in close communication with a lot of
people, journalists and friends in political circle. Actually, everybody's flabbergasted. Don't know what's going on right now. You understand why the
president made his call the way he did it, but it's absolutely stunning.
You know, it seems like he hasn't informed a lot of people, even inside his circle. So, there's a lot of confusion going on.
ANDERSON: OK.
CHOI: The opposition party has filed like -- yeah, go ahead.
ANDERSON: Yeah, sorry. Let me just be quite clear. You said you understand why the president did this, made this decision. Can you explain what that
is?
CHOI: Yeah --
ANDERSON: Why specifically do you believe that he has declared martial law? And who are these sorts of communist elements that he is talking about
wanting to purge?
CHOI: Well, he is frustrated because the opposition party, which controls about, like almost two thirds in the parliament has impeached, like 18 of
his cabinet ministers' level impeached, the prosecutor general impeached, you know, so they are impeaching everybody. And then the opposition party
cut down like almost $4 billion in the budget, government budget.
So, he believed that, you know, the opposition parties trying to shut his government down. And he believed that, you know, or the leftist element
from the North Korean agents or whatever are penetrated -- has penetrated into this movement, and they are, you know, sort of inciting all these
instabilities.
[09:45:00]
I'm not sure whether this is deemed the necessary to have a martial law. That's a secondary question. But, you know, when I said, I understand why
he did it, because he's frustrated, I'm not sure whether that's justified, because even he's the president of the ruling party, that he will try to
stop this.
So right now, there's a lot of confusion going on the -- I mean, you know, the martial law committee chair, I guess, whoever it is, has declared that,
you know, no political activities allowed from now on. So, I think, as you said, the very essence of our democracy is probably come to a halt. I don't
know whether it's a price we should pay.
So, a lot of people right now, it's in the middle of the midnight. So, people are confused, still watching what's being, you know, being sort of
played out. And actually, you know, there's a lot of legal aspects into this that needs to be taken care of. First, you know, the president
declared martial law, but the parliament can override this.
And if the parliament requests, with a simple majority request to, you know, put the martial law back into the cabinet. Then, you know, he has to,
you know, follow -- through. But the question is, will he, or you know, does he, you know, bind to follow through, or does he, you know, just
continue to declare martial law? It still remains to be seen. So, you know, a lot of people are very, very good news at this time of hour.
ANDERSON: You said, a lot of people are confused. It is obviously very late at night. This announcement was made on live television at 10:30 at night.
Can you explain why you believe that the president might have made this decision to go live with this so late in the evening?
Why not wait until tomorrow? I mean, is there any understanding as to as to whether he thought, you know, leaving this until the morning would have
been a risk.
CHOI: I have no idea to tell you truth, I don't know why he chose this time of the day to declare martial law. To me and a lot of people that I talk
to, think that -- I'm not sure whether he has thought through this whole procedure at this moment, because, you know, the police are in confusion.
The military is not mobilized at all. You -- I just saw that. I mean, I just looked out the window and, you know, the traffic is still going on
without any, you know, problems. So, and then, you know, the Martial Law Committee just declared that no political, you know, association is
allowed.
But that's just a word. You know, there's no physical movement by the military or police. So, it's really a puzzling thing. I don't know why he
chose this time of the night. I mean, declaring martial law and putting everybody on their toes. So, it's a good question.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. We're going to take a very short break here on CNN. Thank you for your time, your insight, analysis, extremely
important, what is a momentous evening for South Kore.? Thank you. We'll be right back after this.
[09:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, a woman who stowed away on a flight from New York to Paris was supposed to be taken back to the United States today. She's been held
at Charles de Gaulle Airport since arriving last Tuesday without a ticket. Now we are hearing her return trip is delayed for a second time.
CNN's Anna Stewart following this for us from London. Well, she's there. We had thought that she was on her way back to the States, but apparently, for
the second time of asking she is not why, what's going on there?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: I think the -- getting anything more challenging than flying from JFK to Charles de Gaulle without a ticket or
even a seat on a flight is how to force a stowaway to go back again. Because on Saturday, this passenger was refused flight. She had to get off
the plane.
Seems to be a similar story today. Delta Airlines refused to fly them. The flight took off at 02:30 local time in France. We don't know exactly why,
but what we do have from airport official is this, we are going to try to send her back again with a French escort.
One would imagine that a bit like Saturday, there was a lot of shouting and screaming and general disruption once the passenger got on board. She did
have six air marshals with her this time. Clearly, that wasn't enough. Very unclear how to get back. She has been now in Charles de Gaulle Airport for
a whole week.
She arrived on Tuesday. She's not allowed to go into France. That is a long time to spend in an airport, Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely! Thank you very much indeed, Anna. Well, the Former German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, says her first impression of Donald Trump
was that he may have envied some of the world's most controversial leaders and how they ruled. Speaking with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, she detailed,
what stood out about Trump when he first took office back in 2017?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I remember very distinctly when Donald Trump was first elected, you did one -- You were the
only one to actually welcome his election conditionally, in other words, based on the respect and the adherence to mutual values, democracy,
freedom, diversity, rule of law, human rights, et cetera.
And I just -- you know, wonder whether you thought he did act in that way. And especially because you said he was clearly fascinated by the Russian
President. In the years that followed, I received the distinct impression that he was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial
traits. How did that manifest itself to you?
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.
So, my impression always was that he dreamt of actually overriding, maybe all those parliamentary bodies that he felt were, in a way, an encumbrance
upon him, and that he wanted to decide matters on his own and in a democracy. Well, you cannot reconcile that with democratic values.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And you can watch Christiane Amanpour's entire conversation with Angela Merkel about her time as chancellor and her memoir freedom when it
airs today, 01:00 p.m. in New York, that is 06:00 p.m. if you are watching in London. And also happening today In European politics, have a look at
this.
Protesters and police clashed on the streets of Georgia on Monday for a fifth straight day. Police use water cannon against demonstrators in the
capital of Tbilisi. The unrest comes after Georgia's government suspended talks on joining European Union until 2028. Critics accuse that government
of adopting pro-Russian policies and turning away from the European Union.
I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World" live from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. A lot more news and discussion after this break, including
the very latest on the breaking news out of South Korea, where the president has declared martial law very late at night.
[09:55:00]
Let me tell you, we've been following that for about 40 minutes now. We've got another hour of "Connect the World". We will do more on that. And your
other news coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
