Dennis Rodman wasn’t known as a peacemaker during his time in the NBA, but he’s apparently making strides in that department abroad. The former ferocious rebounder is back in North Korea this week, though it’s unclear exactly what his intentions are this time around.
Dennis Rodman returns to North Korea
Rodman says the trip isn’t to free Kenneth Bae, but rather just to see his friend: dictator Kim Jong-un.
Jim Rogash
Rodman believed he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize after making friends with Korean leader Kim Jong-un earlier this year, and there was speculation he’d use that friendship to try and secure the release of Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae this time around. The Hall of Famer doesn’t have that on the docket, though, according to a story published in the New York Times.
“I’m not going to North Korea to discuss freeing Kenneth Bae,” the Basketball Hall of Fame member told Reuters in a telephone interview. “I’m just going there on another basketball diplomacy tour.”
So what, exactly, is Rodman doing in North Korea this time around?
“I’ve come out here to see my friend,” he said in an allusion to the dictator. “I want to talk about basketball.”
It’s very strange that Kim Jong-un and Rodman have become friendly enough for the latter to travel across the world to talk basketball, but hopefully he does some good and gets Bae released in the process.
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