the missile defense system, the u.s. says s purely a defensive measure. it needs to protect the american ally, south korea, from the provocations of north korea. china certainly doesn t see it that way. but there s another issue another question in the air right now. and that is that the president of south korea has recently been removed from office. she was a conservative who was working quite closely with washington. there is a power vacuum in south korea right now. and it is a left-leaning politician who is leading in the polls right now who has spoken against that missile defense system. so that puts some questions up in the air about the future of u.s./south korean cooperation on that front. and that s something else that rex tillerson may not actually be able to deal with since that future south korean government has yet to even be elected. ivan watson live in tokyo. while you were
secretary, as well as other administration positions. audition i guess is the right word given what we re seeing in all the public discussion when you get your picture taken coming down that elevator. could rex tillerson s nomination be stopped? this is a crucial position, perhaps the most. do the democrats have enough power to block tillerson s nomination or not? by themselves they don t. however if enough republicans defect and vote no, they could block the nomination. and all they need is three republicans to defect on the floor of the senate and then rex tillerson may not be the next secretary of state. already four republicans voicing some level of concern about tillerson s ties to russia. on the foreign relations