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LISA MULLINS: As Secretary of State Clinton tackles problems around the globe, she better keep an eye on North Korea. The rhetoric coming out of Pyongyang just got a lot hotter. North Korea is accusing the United States and South Korea of trying to provoke a nuclear war. The country also seems to be threatening the safety of civilian airliners flying near its air space. In response, South Korea has ordered its airlines to reroute all its flights to steer well clear of North Korea. David Kang is director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California. This does not sound exactly like an olive branch for President Obama being extended by North Korea's president. What are the North Koreans so mad about?

DAVID KANG: Well, I think first there's a fair amount of posturing going on, to show that whoever is the new President of the United States that North Korea's not going to get pushed around. And this is a little contrary to the view that Obama will engage a little bit more. But I think everyone is trying to posture as they begin to get back to the six-party talks and the negotiating table.

MULLINS: You can't read the mind, of course, of Kim Jong-Il. It seems like no one can. But for you, what is your take on where North Korea's President – what the posture is right now of North Korea's President?

KANG: Well, there's a couple other things going on. I think first he is – he is posturing to show the United States that, even though he's willing to talk, you know, there's going to be a price to pay. He's also posturing towards South Korea, which under their new president, Lee Myung-Bak, has taken a more skeptical line, cut back on the aide and the transfers that the previous president in South Korea had given to the North. This made eminently sensible policy: “We should get something in return for what we're giving.” But the North has reacted very badly and begun to cut off relations with the South itself. So he's actually posturing in a number of directions.

MULLINS: And perhaps showing a little bit of muscle as well to North Koreans. Prior to the “elections”, quote-unquote, in North Korea happening this weekend, where it looks like we may have a better idea of who will succeed eventually North Korea's President – and it's apparently going to be all in the family.

KANG: Yeah. These are clearly not free and fair elections. There's only one candidate per slot. But a lot of people are looking at Kim Jung-Un, who is the third son of current leader Kim Jung-Il, and expecting – he's only 26, and they're expecting that he'll get his first institutional position and that this will be the first step towards a formal succession to his father.

MULLINS: Kim Jung-Il, the current President. I mean, what is the state of his health? Why are we even talking right now about his successor?

KANG: Well, he's getting old. He's in his late 60's. He had reportedly a stroke in August. It's fairly clear from what we can tell, that he had some kind of major illness. At the same time, he's back, he's publicly meeting people. He has claimed that he's going to visit China. So whatever he had, he seems to have recovered fairly well from. So it's -- in that sense, the speculation over his health immediately raised questions about who his successor was going to be, which is why we're talking about that.

MULLINS: Well, if it looks like it's going to be a dynastic succession, why would that be the case? I mean, this would be the second hereditary succession in North Korea. Why are they keeping it among the Kims?

KANG: Well, for reasons that many ruling families tend to do that. I mean, this isn't unique to North Korea, there's a number of other countries that have done it. And in one way, it's one of the safer ways to ensure the legacy of the father and the grandfather in this case. And even more importantly than that though -- I think that we should all remember that regardless of who takes over, they're all basically trying to preserve the regime – the North Korean regime that they sit at the top. So even one of these sons doesn't take over and a military general or something takes over, more important than who takes over is what they really want to do. And it seems pretty clear the regime is doing everything it can to survive.

MULLINS: All right. Thank you very much. David Kang, professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. Thanks.

KANG: My pleasure.

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