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Field Trip to the DMZ and North Korea

April 10, 2009 12:52 PM

By Lama Hasan, ABC News correspondent, North Korea 

As we drive down a South Korean freeway lined with cherry blossoms, the landscape quickly changes to barbed wire and fences dotted with military outposts.  Less than an hour’s drive from the capital of Seoul is the Demilitarized Zone, also known as the DMZ.

It is the world’s most heavily militarized area where hundreds of thousands of troops are stationed on the southern side of the Korean peninsula.  They’re mostly South Korean, but there are also some 28,000 U.S. troops supporting them.  With Chinook helicopters flying over our heads, security is stringent here with landmines, barbed wire and bunkers. 

Before driving into the area we, along with a pack of other journalists, were loaded onto a bus and given blue arm bands with the word “media” written on them.

You get the feeling you’re going into a potentially hostile area. And there’s good reason, because this is where you find the demarcation line that splits the country, dividing north from south.

After being taken through a large glass building called the Peace House, we arrived at the Panmunjum area, or JSA, which is often called the Truce Village.  Standing on the steps of the Peace House, our guide points out the North Korean soldier on the opposite side -- he's staring back at us through his binoculars.  We were given strict instructions not to communicate or gesture to the soldier.

Beneath the steps is a compound of several small blue houses, where the Armistice talks of the early 1950s that established the DMZ took place.  We were quickly ushered into one of houses, called the T2 building.  Inside the building were lacquered tables, chairs, a UN flag and two soldiers wearing shades who stood guard in a martial arts pose, hands clenched, poised for action.  It’s a pose that is designed to intimidate.

The demarcation line is literally a long slab of concrete, and the line itself is a no man’s land buffer zone.  For a brief moment, we were allowed to cross over the line which technically meant we were in North Korea.

Our trip today has some significance because North Korea’s supreme council has re-elected Kim Jong Il as their leader for a third term.  The vote ended months of careful planning. It’s no coincidence the country test-fired a rocket earlier this week, a show of force meant to illustrate its technological prowess and military might.   So, no surprises or changes in Pyongyang today.  And the “Dear Leader” is rarely seen or heard in public, but today he appeared in parliament, visibly looking older, but he did not speak.  There has been speculation about his health after he reportedly suffered a stroke last summer.

Back on the southern side of the border, we were given a briefing by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (the NNSC), with members from Sweden, Switzerland and Poland. According to Swiss MG Jean-Jacques Joss, their mission includes “supervising, observing, inspecting and investigating the rotation of units personnel and replacement of combat aircraft, armored vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.”  All these points were agreed on in 1953, when the Armistice was finalized. As for their future and how long they’ll remain there, MG Joss says it all depends on “Pyongyang’s regime, its nuclear program, regional balance, and the six part talks.”

After North Korea’s last rocket launch in 2006, the North Korean guards were described as having a slight swagger, they could be seen smiling as if to show how proud they were of their country’s achievements.  But that’s not the case following this recent launch. MG Joss said they have not noticed a change in their demeanour.  Just business as usual on the Northern side of the DMZ.

Following the briefing, we were carted off to another site that showed another North Korean military watch tower and again were cautioned not to communicate with them.  Our guide pointed out towers in the distance, which turned out to be the nation’s jamming devices. These stop residents from receiving TV signals, effectively cutting them from the outside world.

Our tour of the DMZ lasted for only 90 minutes, but it gave us a sense of just how these two nations, once united are now divided and how deep these divisions still run.

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April 10, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

The Bulgogi Brothers

April 08, 2009 3:04 PM

By LAMA HASAN, CORRESPONDENT, ABC NEWS SEOUL

If you like spicy food then Seoul is your city.  Most of the dishes here are either infused with chilli or drizzled with some type of hot sauce. Even salads fall victim to the eye watering spice. 

The country is famous for its national dish of cabbage fermented in garlic, chilies and vinegar.  You may have heard of it, it’s called kimchi. It’s considered a national icon so much so that last year when a South Korean astronaut packed for her mission, she took a packet of kimchi with her, naturally.

But South Korea is also known for its meat dishes, or bulgogi, which means simply beef. The dish consists of thinly sliced meat marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar, which you can then cook on a grill usually found on your table.

For me, the thought of Korean cuisine conjures up images of barbecued meat, and for the full experience we decided to dine at a restaurant called the  Bulgogi Brothers,  mainly because it was on the map my producer, Clark Bentson bought and with set menu prices for as little as $8, it was too much of a bargain to pass up.

We ventured into the Myungdong district, an area packed with restaurants and shops.  The restaurant itself has a modern setting with tables that have a grill to cook your food.  Also on the tables are side dishes of pumpkin and sweet potato mash garnished with thinly sliced almonds, boiled sweet potatoes and chunks of corn, a plate of local greens, acorn jelly and radish all in hot sauce. In case you were wondering, the acorn jelly has a jelly consistency and that's about it.  It's tasteless.

The menu is foreigner-friendly complete with visual aids. The names of the dishes are in English and pictures are placed next to them.  We chose the Seoul Beef set menu, which comes with either glass noodles or rice and black beans. 

The slivers of raw meat marinated in a sweet sauce arrive with spring onions on a big dish.  All of the contents are placed on the grill and almost immediately the color of the meat changes.  Since we’re novices, our helpful waiter took over and acted as chef. 

Within minutes we began sampling the meat which is sweet tasting and tender.

There isn’t much on offer for vegetarians on the menu, which consists of beef with pine nuts,  beef wrapped in lettuce, raw beef, seafood pepper noodles and seafood dumplings.

If you’re in Seoul and all of the above doesn’t sound appetizing, then fret not because you can still get a little taste of home. On the way to the restaurant were several Starbuck stores, a Burger King, Krispy Kreme and a Bennigan’s.

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April 8, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

From Jerusalem to Gaza... via Taba, Suez and Many Checkpoints

January 17, 2009 3:05 PM

ABC News' Lama Hasan reports:

What began as a nine-hour trip from Jerusalem to Rafah turned into a 38-hour ordeal. 

We set off at 5 a.m. from Jerusalem, heading south along the highways that border the no man's land between Israel and Gaza. As dawn broke we breezed along, passing checkpoints controlled by Israeli Defense Forces near the settlements here, which have been the targets of Hamas' rockets.

It was only when we got to the Egyptian side that the delays began. First they told us we didn't have a necessary letter saying we were entering as journalists, so we had to get a local hotel to construct an explanation saying we were tourists. Hurdle number one over, and we're on our way.

Not so fast. As soon as we got through immigration, another stumbling block, we were expected to have a letter from Cairo's press association that had our equipment details. We spent three hours in their rudimentary customs office scrambling to get the letter. Another problem: it was a Friday, the day of the Muslim sabbath when many businesses are closed. With no one in the office in Cairo, we took shelter in the nearest hotel to try again first thing the next day.

As soon as the customs office opened, we were its first customers, but there was more waiting for us. The press association's manager had not arrived. A couple of hours later and the needed fax, officially stamped and signed, came through.

There was a collective sigh of relief in the car. We were finally on our way to Rafah, a town split between Egypt and Gaza along the Mediterranean Sea. Or so we thought. There are two routes: one is a shortcut and the other is the long way around, which takes you past the Suez Canal. of course, we decided on the short cut. We were stopped in the town of Al Nakhel and asked for another permission letter to enter, this time from the town's local secret police headquarters. And off we went, only to be faced with more waiting, and then we were finally told foreigners were not allowed to pass on the quick route because, they said, it is a sensitive area with military bases.

No choices left, so it's the long route. Eight hours later and we're still on the road.

January 17, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

U.N. Chief: Cease-fire May Come 'Soon'

January 15, 2009 8:17 AM

By LAMA HASAN, ABC News Correspondent, Jerusalem

We're on Day 2 of the U.N. secretary-general's whirlwind tour of the Middle East and on the third stop in Jerusalem. During a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his outrage at the Israeli shelling of another U.N. installation. He said he’d spoken to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and protested the attack, demanding a full investigation. Barak said Israel was taking the incident seriously.

The secretary-general said his visit comes at a difficult time for Israel and comes with a heavy heart. He also condemned the firing of rockets from Gaza and said it's an act of terrorism and must cease.

He added that from the meetings he'd had thus far he believes some elements are in place for a cease-fire to come “reasonably soon.” Livni responded, saying that Israel will take it on a day-by-day basis.

On the diplomatic front, there's been a flurry of activity. A delegation from Hamas was in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday. While the Hamas delegation says it agrees in principle to the Egyptian initiative, it still has issues with some points, namely the duration of the cease-fire and the need to reopen the Gaza border crossings.

Also, Israeli defense official Amos Gilad is in Cairo holding separate talks with Egyptian officials.

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January 15, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

U.N. Chief: Gaza Conflict Must End Now

January 14, 2009 12:16 PM

By LAMA HASAN, ABC News Correspondent, CAIRO

The press conference with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit just concluded.

Here are some of the highlights:

I asked the secretary general when he would see firsthand what the situation is like on the ground in Gaza.

He responded, "I would have liked to personally visit, but in view of the current sitation, I am not sure that can be done. It's tense and dangerous right now; circumstances are not right. [I am] not sure when I'll visit and only after a cease-fire. I will have an opportunity with U.N. staff to find out what the situation is like on this trip."

At each stop on his tour of the region the secretary general will repeat his calls for a durable cease-fire and reiterate his insistence that all parties should implement Security Council resolution 1860, and it should be respected by both parties.

The goal, he said, "is to have an immediate end to the conflict. It's intolerable ... and it is the civilians bearing the brunt."

The Egyptian foreign minister told reporters that "right now, there is a Hamas delegation in Cairo, and they are hopeful that they'll agree to an immediate cease-fire."

The secretary general praised the Egyptians and said that diplomatic efforts are ongoing and they need to continue.

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January 14, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Bombs Boom Over Egypt's Border With Gaza

January 05, 2009 2:22 PM

January 5, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

'We Will Avenge You Palestine'

January 02, 2009 11:07 AM

By LAMA HASAN, ABC News Cairo

Hundreds of police officers lined the streets outside many of the mosques in Cairo, Egypt, in anticipation of pro-Palestinian protests. We went to the Al Azhar mosque, the capital's oldest mosque and Islam's intellectual center. We could only get as close as the front gate before we were stopped by an officer and told to leave.

It was a similar scene at a mosque nearby: riot police, police vans and officers. The city is swarming with them at the moment with many more checkpoints than usual. And once again we were told to leave.

A crowd of about 100 protesters, including women, managed to begin a small demo. People in this country are usually careful about what they say about the government in public but today their voices were loud and clear -- "watch the terrorism in this country," they said, referring to the Egyptian police. They were also chanting pro-Hamas slogans and saying, "With our blood, with our souls, we will avenge you Palestine." But as soon as the demonstration started, riot police moved in and broke it up, arresting people and putting them in vans.

The Egyptian government is very careful about scenes like these and doesn't want them to be seen by the outside world. Other Arab countries have been putting pressure on Egypt to do more to help the Palestinians by fully opening the Rafah border crossing. They say failing to do so means Egypt is aiding Israel in its offensive in Gaza.

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January 2, 2009 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (78) | TrackBack (0)

Arab League Meets to Discuss Gaza

December 31, 2008 9:35 AM

By LAMA HASAN, ABC News Cairo

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria were present at the Arab league meeting today in Cairo to discuss the Gaza crisis. The meeting covered familiar ground, including harsh condemnation of Israel. 

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to take the matter to the U.N. Security Council and demand a halt to the Israeli airstrikes, even if it risks a veto. He told Abbas that the league would back him. 

One interesting point to note: Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal discussed the need for a Palestinian national unity government. He said that had such a government been in place, a "massacre" would not be taking place right now. 

So will the meeting generate any change in Gaza? One of the journalists I spoke to said that it was unlikely. She remarked that it had taken the Arab League five days to finally meet since the strikes had started and after nearly 400 Palestinians had been killed.

The meeting therefore could be just a show for the people on Arab streets, to make them feel that their leaders are trying to do something about the situation when in reality nothing may come of it.

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December 31, 2008 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)

U.K. Knife Crime at Its Highest in 3 Decades

December 29, 2008 12:50 PM

By LAMA HASAN, Correspondent, ABC News London

We’ve always known that knife crime in the U.K. has been on the rise and a serious problem for the authorities who’ve struggled to contain it. It has taken over terrorism as the Metropolitan Police’s No. 1 priority.

But we didn’t know the full extent of knife crime until today. The U.K.'s opposition party,  which is the Conservative Party, released some sobering facts and figures that say knife-related killings have soared to a record high, the highest in three decades. 

According to police figures obtained under the freedom of information laws by the Conservative Party there have been 277 homicides from knives or sharp instruments -- that’s five people being killed a week, in the past year.

Among the victims  was 18-year-old actor Rob Knox. He acted alongside Daniel Radcliffe in ‘’Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.’’ Knox was killed trying to defend his younger brother after a fight broke out and then continued outside a bar. Knox died from stab wounds.

The  Conservatives argue that under the current Labor government leadership, the U.K. has failed to tackle the underlying causes of crime, such as drugs, family breakdown and gang culture.

James Brokenshire, a Conservative spokesman, said, “Knife crime is a scourge which claims too many lives and ruins countless others. Yet under Labor it has soared. The government’s only response is short-term, ad hoc police operations, the results of which they spin and manipulate anyway to try to get a good story.”

The woman in charge of making Britain a safer place is Home Affairs Secretary Jacqui Smith, who recently admitted she didn’t feel safe walking in her neighborhood alone at night. Earlier this month, she had to apologize for misquoting figures that suggested the number of stabbings and teenagers carrying weapons were on the decrease. Smith came under criticism from the head of the government watchdog, the U.K. Statistics Authority, saying the data released was "premature, irregular and selective."

What’s the government doing about it? It has started a 6.5 million dollar program that is designed to target 10 areas deemed problematic in the U.K. This includes more stop-and-search operations and airport-style security at some subway stations.

Coinciding with these new figures today, the government is beginning to talk tough and act tough. New legislation was announced that says people caught carrying knives are to face tougher punishments, such as doing at least 18 hours of community work a week, and will be subject to curfews. A little more humiliating perhaps is that criminals will be expected to wear high-visibility orange jackets bearing the words “community payback” when they are doing their work. These  sanctions will come into play next week.

But the Conservatives say it’s still not enough. They are putting the onus on the Labor  government and want more to be done to slash knife crimes in the country.

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December 29, 2008 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

Pope Appeals for Peace in Middle East

December 25, 2008 8:15 AM

By LAMA HASAN, Correspondent, ABC News London

Overlooking St. Peter’s square, Pope Benedict the XVI delivered his traditional "urbi et orbi" speech, Latin for "to the city and to the world." In more than 60 different languages, the pope wished the faithful a happy Christmas.

Addressing the crowd, the pope said the "heart of the Christian message is meant for all men and women." The pontiff warned that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevailed over solidarity during tough economic times for both rich and poor nations, saying, "If people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart."

The pope also spoke of the plight of Zimbabweans who he said were "trapped ... in a political and social crisis".

Celebrations began on Christmas Eve.  As darkness fell, the head of the Catholic Church appeared at his studio window to light a candle, a symbol of peace.

That was followed by a midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where thousands of worshippers listened to the pope’s homily. 

Appealing for children who are abused, forced to live on the street or serve as soldiers, the pope said we must put an end to their suffering.

"Let us think of those street children who do not have the blessing of a family home, of those children who are brutally exploited as soldiers and made instruments of violence instead of messengers of reconciliation and peace," he said.

"Let us think of those children who are victims of the industry of pornography and every other appalling form of abuse, and thus are traumatized to the depths of their soul."

He also made a plea for peace in the land where the faithful believe Jesus Christ was born, the holy land, a land marred by decades of violence.

He called for an end to hatred and violence in the Middle East.  The pope said, "Let us think of the place named Bethlehem, of the land in which Jesus lived, and which he loved so deeply. … Let us pray that peace will be established there."

As the pontiff was leaving St Peter’s, a pilgrim leaped toward him but was quickly ushered away by a security guard.

In the traditional birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem, a midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity gathered people from different faiths, including dignitaries and tourists.  All were united in prayer.   

In Manger Square the festivities continued into the night, with people dancing in the streets.

In a land divided by violence, on this Christmas Day, perhaps there’s new hope for a peaceful new year. 

December 25, 2008 in Lama Hasan | Permalink | User Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)