PrintNorth Korea's Barbecue Diplomat
There was a fascinating story on NPR that got lost in the shuffle in the days leading up to the holidays. On December 22, the network aired a piece on Bobby Egan, a Hackensack, New Jersey, barbecue-joint owner who for many years has been an unofficial go-between for North Korea and the United States.
According to the story by Adam Davidson, Mr. Egan, owner of Cubby's BBQ Ribs, fell into the role in the 1980s, when some friends of his, Vietnam veterans, asked for his help in dealing with POW-MIA issues. Mr. Egan began assisting them, traveling to Vietnam several times and eventually making friends with the country's Communist officials. The Vietnamese took a shine to Egan and mentioned him to the North Koreans, who sought him out as a liaison.
The North Koreans only rely on him when talks between it and the U.S. have broken down completely, the story says, but Egan hasn't been as influential during the George W. Bush administration as he was during Clinton's. Still, the government of Kim Jong Il has "twice authorized Mr. Egan to offer a full end to their nuclear programs in exchange for money and diplomatic relations with the U.S." The reporter says Egan often takes calls from the North Koreans while working the front counter at Cubby's.
Says North Korean U.N. representative Kim Yong Il, "Bobby Egan is one of our good friends. He's trying to make bridges between the people of my country and the people of the U.S."
CUBBY'S BBQ RIBS
Address: 249 South River Street, Hackensack NJ
Phone: 201-488-9389
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3 Comments:
Why does that not shock me? People from NJ seem to get everywhere.
JerzeeTomato at 12:55AM on 01/05/07
I sometimes drive from my upstate Manhattan home to the Hackensack Costco and always notice this place but have never tried it. It might be that it's right across the road from what looks like a max-security prison. So how's the Q?
kqrbob at 2:07PM on 01/09/07
The prision is the Bergen County Jail. The style of the Q is Boiled Baked-style ribs, not real Q. Its okay. However he does an excellent deep fried hot dog with a lot of bacon and cheddar.
jperlow at 12:36PM on 01/11/07