|
 Rodman was surrounded by journalists when he arrived at
Beijing's airport to catch a flight for the North Korean
capital, which he said he was visiting as a private citizen.
"I'm just trying to open the door," Rodman told reporters,
wearing sunglasses and a dark shirt and baseball cap with the
logo of his trip's sponsor, a crypto-currency provider for the
legal marijuana industry.
"My purpose is to actually to see if I can keep bringing sports
to North Korea, so that’s the main thing," said Rodman, who wore
his familiar facial piercings and was escorted through customs
and immigration by two handlers.
Rodman, 56, arrived in Pyongyang later on Tuesday for a five-day
visit, received by North Korean officials at Pyongyang's
airport, China's Xinhua news agency reported from the North
Korean capital.
Rodman said in a tweet ahead of his trip: “I’m back! Thanks to
my sponsor www.potcoin.com," adding that he would “discuss my
mission upon my return to the USA.”
Tensions have escalated on the Korean peninsula over North
Korea's nuclear and missile tests and its vow to develop a
nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland,
presenting U.S. President Donald Trump with perhaps his most
pressing security worry.
Before Trump became president, Rodman appeared twice on his
"Celebrity Apprentice" show and praised the billionaire real
estate developer on Twitter during last year's election
campaign.
"I am pretty much sure that he is happy with the fact that I am
over here trying to accomplish something that we both need,"
Rodman said, when asked on Tuesday if he had spoken with Trump.
TRAVEL WARNINGS
U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon, speaking with
reporters in Tokyo after meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe's top national security adviser, said Rodman was traveling
as a private citizen.
"We are aware of his visit. We wish him well. But we have issued
travel warnings to Americans and suggested they not travel to
North Korea for their own safety," he said.
Four Americans are being held in North Korea, including
22-year-old student Otto Warmbier, who was detained in January
2016 and sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for attempting to
steal a propaganda banner.
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Rodman's North Korea visits over the years have fueled speculation
that he could somehow facilitate a diplomatic breakthrough between
Pyongyang and Washington.
"Hopefully, there will be some positive results. However, we must
have realistic expectations, and if the DPRK (North Korea) and U.S.
governments wish to communicate or send messages, there are channels
to do that," said Daniel Pinkston, a Troy University lecturer and
expert on the Koreas, based in Seoul.
The flamboyant Rodman, who has called Kim "an awesome kid," said in
an interview with CNN in 2014 that his travels to North Korea would
help "open the door" to the isolated nation.
The unpredictable Trump has offered mixed messages to Kim Jong Un,
saying he would be "honored" to meet him under the right conditions
and once describing the young leader as "a pretty smart cookie."
But Trump has also called Kim a "madman with nuclear weapons" who
could not be let on the loose.
Rodman has faced ridicule and criticism for his trips to North
Korea, which some U.S. politicians and activists view as serving
only as fodder for North Korean propaganda.
Rodman's earlier visits to North Korea included a basketball game
that he organized, an event chronicled in the documentary film "Big
Bang in Pyongyang," which featured Rodman singing "Happy Birthday"
to Kim, as well as scenes of inebriated and erratic behavior by the
basketball Hall of Famer.
Rodman, nicknamed "The Worm" during his playing career and known for
his tattoos, body piercings and multi-colored hair, is considered
one of the best defensive players and rebounders in NBA history.
He won five league championships with the Detroit Pistons and
Chicago Bulls.
(Additional reporting by Eric Beech, David Brunnstrom and Steve
Holland in Washington; Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Kiyoshi Takenaka
in Tokyo; and Ju-min Park and Se Young Lee in Seoul; Editing by Tony
Munroe and Bill Tarrant)
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