ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Today was a big day for South Korea and for a professor named Robert Kelly.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
We should explain. Robert Kelly is an expert on international diplomacy, especially South Korea. He teaches at a university in that country. And today South Korea's president was impeached.
SHAPIRO: Now, experts like Robert Kelly may spend their life studying one particular thing, and then a moment like today comes along where suddenly your area of expertise is in the news. And news organizations call on you to explain it all. So when the BBC came calling for a live interview, Robert Kelly made himself available.
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ROBERT KELLY: Scandals happen all the time. The question is, how do democracies...
SIEGEL: Dressed in coat and tie in what appears to be his home office, Professor Kelly opines on the constitutional crisis facing South Korea live on BBC News.
SHAPIRO: Then the door behind him opens, and a small child struts in.
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JAMES MENENDEZ: ...Region. I think one of your children has just walked in. I mean, shifting...
SIEGEL: The little girl in pigtails and a yellow sweater does a - kind of an elbows-up swagger march into the frame, not a care in the world. She pushes a few books off the table behind him and takes a seat me.
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KELLY: Pardon me.
SHAPIRO: Professor Kelly valiantly attempts to keep the interview going, which is, again, on live television.
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KELLY: My apologies.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: (Yelling, unintelligible).
SIEGEL: Then as the host asks about shifting sands in the region, the drama on screen intensifies. Following the little girl in yellow comes an even smaller person in a rolling baby walker.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) Finally a woman runs in obviously panicked and drags both children away before ultimately desperately diving in to shut the door. As the door closes, Professor Kelly closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, somehow keeps his cool and presses on with the interview.
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KELLY: ...South Korea's policy choices on North Korea have been severely limited in the last 6 months to a year.
SIEGEL: As two people who work in live radio, our hearts go out to Professor Kelly and his co-stars. Fortunately, the studio we record from has two heavy doors. It's effectively childproof.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: What you doing?
(LAUGHTER)
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) A small child has just run into our studio. We're just doing a little recording here. Do you want to say hi to anyone?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: OK. Hello, Puppy.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) OK, should we finish our story.
SIEGEL: Yes, let's do that.
SHAPIRO: NPR has reached out to Professor Kelly but has not heard back. The household may be observing a time-out.
(SOUNDBITE OF MARTIN SOLVEIG AND DRAGONETTE SONG, "HELLO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.