SEOUL – Former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman hung out with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his improbable visit to Pyongyang, watching the Harlem Globetrotters together and later drinking and dining on sushi with him.
“You have a friend for life,” Rodman told Kim before a crowd of thousands Thursday at a gymnasium where they sat side by side, chatting as they watched players from North Korea and the United States face off in mixed teams, said Alex Detrick, a spokesman for the New York-based VICE media company.
Rodman arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, VICE correspondent Ryan Duffy and a production crew to shoot an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series.
The unlikely encounter makes Rodman the most high-profile American to meet Kim since the young North Korean chief took power in December 2011, and takes place against a backdrop of tension between Washington and Pyongyang. The North conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago, making clear the provocative act was a warning to the U.S. to drop what it considers a “hostile” policy toward it.
Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told the former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls star that he hoped the visit would break the ice between the United States and North Korea, VICE founder Shane Smith said.
Dressed in a blue Mao suit, Kim laughed and slapped his hands on the table before him during the game at the Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium, where he sat nearly knee to knee with Rodman.
Rodman, the man who once turned up in a wedding dress to promote his autobiography, wore a dark suit and dark sunglasses, but still had on his nose rings and other piercings. A can of Coca-Cola sat on the table before him.
“The crowd was really engaged, laughed at all of the Globetrotters’ antics, and actually got superloud toward the end as the score got close,” said Duffy, who suited up for a game in a blue uniform emblazoned with “United States of America.” He said it was the “most fun I’ve had in a while.”
Although Kim and Rodman chatted in English, Kim primarily spoke in Korean through a translator, VICE founder Smith said after speaking to his crew in Pyongyang by telephone.
“They bonded during the game,” Smith said in New York. “They were both enjoying the crazy shots, and the Harlem Globetrotters were putting on quite a show.”
The surprise visit by the flamboyant Hall of Famer, known as “The Worm,” makes him an unlikely ambassador at a time when state media says North Koreans are girding for battle with the U.S. Just last week, Kim guided troops in military exercises.
North Korea and the U.S. fought on opposite sides of the three-year Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953. The foes never signed a peace treaty, and do not have formal diplomatic relations.
Before Thursday’s game, Rodman went up to Kim’s perch to offer his greetings. “Warmly welcoming him, Kim Jong Un let (Rodman) sit next to him,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported 10 hours later.
For the halftime entertainment, taekwondo athletes showed off some moves and a “women’s brass band presented glamorous rhythmic formations,” KCNA said. The Americans also presented Kim with a Harlem Globetrotters uniform.
Thursday’s game ended in a 110-110 tie, with two Americans playing on each team alongside North Koreans.
After the game, Rodman addressed Kim in a speech before a crowd of tens of thousands, telling him, “You have a friend for life,” VICE spokesman Detrick said.
At a lavish dinner later, the leader plied the group with food and drinks and round after round of toasts were made. “Dinner was an epic feast. Felt like about 10 courses in total,” Duffy, the media group’s correspondent, said. “I’d say the winners were the smoked turkey and sushi, though we had the Pyongyang cold noodles earlier in the trip and that’s been the runaway favorite so far.”
Duffy said he invited Kim to visit the United States, a proposal met with hearty laughter from the North Korean leader. Kim said he hoped sports exchange would promote “mutual understanding between the people of the two countries,” KCNA reported.
Rodman’s trip is the second attention-grabbing U.S. visit this year to North Korea. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt made a four-day trip in January to Pyongyang, but did not meet the North Korean leader.
In Washington, the State Department refused to comment on Rodman’s visit or his meeting with Kim. “Private, individual Americans are welcome to take actions they see fit,” spokesman Patrick Ventrell said, adding the Obama administration has not been in touch with Rodman and is not making any effort to contact him.
The U.S. government frowned on the earlier trip by Schmidt and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, but has avoided criticizing Rodman’s outing, saying it’s about sports.
North Korea’s invitation to a man known as much for his piercings, tattoos and bad behavior as for his basketball skills may seem perplexing. But Kim is known to be a fan of the NBA and has promoted sports since becoming leader.
“We knew that he’s a big lover of basketball, especially the Bulls, and it was our intention going in that we would have a goodwill mission of something that’s fun,” Smith said. “A lot of times, things just are serious and everybody’s so concerned with geopolitics that we forget just to be human beings.”
Rodman’s agent, Darren Prince, said The Worm wasn’t concerned about criticism about making a visit to an enemy nation. “Dennis called me last night and said it’s been a great experience and he made this trip out of the love of the USA,” he said. “It’s all about peace and love.”
Click to enlarge