This is CBS, I On the World. I'm John Batchew with Gordon Chang at Gordon G. Chang. And we're very

pleased to be welcomed by our longtime informant, Greg Scarlato, especially informant about what we see

going on, what we can see going on in North Korea.

Right now, North Korea is a threat to the region to the planet.

There's no accepting it.

And Greg helps us understand what to make of that threat.

A lot of bluster, but, Greg, a very good evening to you.

The news is that South Korea, surprising to me, in its new president's voice, has asked the United States, most recently, to vouchsafe the building of nuclear-powered submarines, attack boats, either in the United States or in South Korea. A submarine of that

capability is surprising to me, but it also suggests that, oddly, South Korea is building up

its defenses against the possibility of being attacked from the sea by North Korea.

Is this a credible threat to South Korea?

Is an attack submarine something that they've always wanted to ask for?

And Mr. Trump seems at this moment to be disposed towards it.

Good evening to you.

Very good evening to you, John and Gordon.

Of course, it's a credible threat. We'll remember March the 26th, 2010, when a North Korean submarine torpedoed a South Korean ship that Tianan, 46 South Korean sailors died. One diver died later on during the search and recovery operations. This is a very important issue to South Korea. We see definitely an escalation in the region. This escalation is not driven by South Korea or the

United States. This escalation is driven by China, North Korea, Russia.

North Korea has made a lot of money out of Russia, at least $20 billion, exportation of

artillery shells and ballistic missiles and special forces.

And we have heard reports that Russia may be helping North Korea build a

nuclear submarine. So this is a natural progression. South Korea is a top world economy.

Why should they be on their knees?

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