REVIEW
It is almost amusing to read about this solitary crusader for peace
as he spares no personal expense to host North Korean diplomats.
He introduced them to the American way of life, and even took
them on hunting and fishing trips, arranging for their medical and
dental care, heaping them with ribs every chance he got, and even
arranged to transport their Olympic team to Atlanta. Through it
all, he developed an enduring friendship with Ambassador Han,
and the ambassador for him. It appears that together they almost
succeeded in arranging for the return of the U.S. Navy Vessel -The
Pueblo. His unofficial visits to the Hermit Kingdom through China
and his experiences with their security apparatus (including getting
injected with truth serum) made me sit up and take note. He com-
mitted to deals without first making sure that the United Sates was
on board, and then would go about maneuvering to make it happen.
It undoubtedly vexed diplomatic circles and even the White House.
The book gives insight into the thinking of the North Korean
leadership. Mr. Egan has a lot of common sense ideas which are
brilliant in their simplicity. In an era of stagnant diplomacy, his
ideas perhaps ought to be re-explored. He explains away his lack
of success with the fact that diplomats would never want “the guy
with the tool belt” to be the one who had “just solved the Middle
East crisis.” In my estimation, the elitist system between rulers and
the ruled may be only part of the problem. There appears to be a
craving on Mr. Egan’s part for gaining acceptance into the corridors
of power. His service appears to give a sense of fulfilment and
meaning to his own life. The one question that remains unanswered
is, “Do the North Koreans want peace just as badly?”
In June of 2013, Dr. Jeffrey M. Bumpous and I participated in
the 20 th World Congress of the International Federation of Oto-Rhi-
no-Laryngological Societies (IFOS) Seoul, Republic of Korea. His
late father had fought his way up the swamps of Incheon to the
42 nd parallel during the Korean conflict. We visited the military
museum, and I took a picture of him in front of his father’s regi-
mental standard. I wondered what must have been going through
his mind as both of us peered through two pairs of binoculars
across the DMZ in to North Korea. We crawled through a tunnel
that the North Koreans had constructed to infiltrate the South. It
stopped abruptly at a barred gate. The contrasts were schizophrenic.
On the South Korean side, a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed.
Children holding their parents’ hands and eating ice-cream, a giant
illuminated Ferris wheel whirled slowly its lights flashing, A sign
warning for the presence of land mines and a few armed soldiers
was all that reminded us that the two countries were at war. A room
with a diorama pointed to structures on the other side of the border.
Some buildings competed with the tallest flag-staff for attention
as they stood sentry, while the setting sun cast an orange glow to
heighten the sense of drama. A few peasants could be seen walking
or bicycling away from the DMZ in deference to the setting sun.
No cars, no motorized vehicles as far as I could tell. What were
they thinking when they looked toward the south? Did they think of
the multicolored lights as propaganda just as we thought that their
buildings were hollow shells? We visited an unused railway station.
It had been inaugurated by President George Bush. If the South
were to make up with the North, it would be possible to travel from
the tip of the Korean Peninsula to the end of Spain by rail. Alas,
those hopes for peace are a pipe-dream. For now, contemplating
on t he story of Eating with the Enemy, in the company of a cup of
tea, under a wintry sky in Kentucky will have to do.
Dr. Gadre is a privately practicing otologist & neurotologist.
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