Dennis Rodman returns to North Korea to hang out with pal Kim Jong Un

The Worm will not ask for the release of American citizen Kenneth Bae; he is only there to "have a good time"

Published September 3, 2013 2:00PM (EDT)

Dennis Rodman, former basketball star turned Nobel Prize front-runner, has returned to North Korea to hang out with his "awesome" friend, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

Rodman rejected the idea that his mini-vacation include some humanitarian component. Although the star said on HuffPost Live last week that he'd "definitely" ask for the release of Kenneth Bae, an American citizen currently detained in North Korea for "hostile acts against the republic," Rodman now tells Reuters explicitly: "I'm not going to North Korea to discuss freeing Kenneth Bae."

He originally wanted to save Bae to become "the most powerful guy in the world," but Rodman will now settle for just having "a good time" with his friend Kim.

"I've come out here to see my friend [Kim] -- and I want to talk about basketball," he said.

"I'm not there to be a diplomat. I'm there to go there and just have a good time, sit with [Kim] and his family, and that's pretty much it."

For Rodman's sake, let's hope that Kim and he don't have a falling out.


By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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Basketball Communism Dennis Rodman Kenneth Bae Kim Jong-un North Korea