美国有线新闻 CNN 韩国爆发反朴槿惠抗议 中国赞成制裁朝鲜

Recently, we've told you about protests against South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who's been accused of corruption 1. Today's show starts with the focus on North Korea. It's just been hit with its toughest international penalties so far over its controversial nuclear program.

For years, the international community has been trying to get North Korea to end this nuclear program. The Asian country says nuclear technology is its right. The United Nations says it's illegal.

But despite multiple talks with North Korean leaders and despite sanctions, penalties meant to hurt North Korea's economy and its ability to build nuclear weapons, the country has continued to develop its program, repeatedly testing nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles. This time around, China, a border country of North Korea, and its strongest ally, has supported new sanctions against North Korea. Will that be enough to change its behavior?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Defiant 2 and definitive 3, North Korea's launched more than two dozen prohibitive ballistic missiles this year alone.

And on September 9th, state TV announced Kim Jong-un's fifth successful nuclear test.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, says one Korean official likened the atmosphere to "living with the Cuban missile crisis every day."

Crucially, China is backing the sanctions, which will cut North Korea's single largest export, coal, by 62 percent, worth around $700 million a year. China is their biggest customer.

The previous round of economic sanctions haven't slowed North Korea's nuclear program.

JOHN DELURY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, YONSEI UNIVERSITY: He is not going to cut his missile program and his nuclear program with those hundreds of millions of dollars. He's going to find other places to cut.

MOHSIN: Sanctions on North Korea he says are counterproductive, although six-party talks have been tried and failed over the years to stop proliferation, its direct talks with the North Korean leader himself that could make the difference.

DELURY: We don't even know Kim Jong-un. We haven't had high level diplomatic contact. No head of state has sat in a room with Kim Jong-un.

We thought Kim Jong-Il was crazy, until people started meeting with Kim Jong-Il. When high level people including the American secretary of state sat down with Kim Jong-Il, they were shocked because they discovered the guy was not nuts.

DONALD TRUMP 4 (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: It's called opening a dialogue.

MOHSIN: President-elect Trump has in the past said he had no problem speaking directly to Kim Jong-un, even suggesting they have hamburgers instead of a state dinner. But he's also said North Korea is China's problem to solve and he'd pressure them to deal with the regime.

With growing protest here in South Korea, calling for President Park to go, we could soon see two new presidents in Seoul and Washington, with all eyes on their policy towards North Korea.

Saima Mohsin, CNN, Seoul, South Korea.