Free Republic

Was the Korean Attack a Mistake? Washington fears Kim Jong-Il ordered the attack that has the Koreas on the brink. But North Korea says it was an accident, according to America's unlikeliest diplomat. Is it possible that a self-described “goomba” who owns a northern New Jersey barbeque joint has the answers to the latest crisis with North Korea—a showdown over a sunken South Korean warship that may be the most serious threat to peace since the Korean War? American diplomats and F.B.I. agents acknowledge that Robert “Bobby” Egan, owner of Cubby’s BBQ Restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey, has managed over...

Restaurateur wages BBQ diplomacy with N. Korea By Edith Honan Wed Apr 21, 4:59 pm ET HACKENSACK, New Jersey (Reuters) – New Jersey restaurateur Robert Egan barbecues meat for a living, except when he acts as a self-appointed, unofficial conduit between the United States and North Korea. In his book "Eating with the Enemy: How I Waged Peace with North Korea from my BBQ Shack in Hackensack," which will be released on April 27, Egan recounts how he forged an unlikely friendship with North Korean diplomats at the United Nations. For a decade, he courted them with racks of ribs,...