|
Rodman, 56, said
last week before departing for Pyongyang that he was trying to
bring sports to the increasingly isolated nuclear-armed country,
where he has previously met leader Kim Jong Un.
"Everybody's going to be happy. It was a good day. It was a good
trip. A really good trip," Rodman said.
Wearing black clothing with the PotCoin logo - a crypto-currency
used by the legal marijuana industry - Rodman fended off
questions from dozens of journalists at the arrival gate.
Asked repeatedly if he had met Kim, Rodman said: "You'll find
out."
He also declined to answer questions about whether he had played
a role in the release of Otto Warmbier, an American student who
was returned home on the day of Rodman's arrival suffering from
brain damage and in a state of unresponsive wakefulness, after
more than a year in detention in North Korea.
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.
Rodman's North Korea visits over the years have fueled
speculation that he could somehow facilitate a diplomatic
breakthrough between Pyongyang and Washington.
The U.S. State Department has said Rodman was traveling as a
private citizen.
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.
His earlier visits to North Korea in 2013 and 2014 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.
The U.S. government has issued travel warnings to Americans
against going to North Korea.
Rodman, nicknamed "The Worm" during his playing career and known
for his tattoos, body piercings and multicolored 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.
(Reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING; Writing by Engen Tham;
Editing by Paul Tait)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
