Rodman calls on world to set aside politics for a day
Print Edition
Retired US basketball star Dennis Rodman appealed yesterday for the world to set aside politics, if only for a day, as he arrived in China from North Korea where he sparked outcry with comments over an American imprisoned there.
The 52-year-old angered many people in the United States with an interview last week in which he implied that Kenneth Bae, a US missionary imprisoned by North Korea, was to blame for his incarceration.
Rodman, who calls himself a friend of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, apologized for the comments made during his visit to North Korea with a group of fellow US basketball players.
Rodman was met by a throng of media at the airport terminal in Beijing. “I want to tell people that no matter what’s going on in the world, for one day, just one day, not politics, not all this stuff,” he said.
“I’m not the president, I’m not an ambassador, I’m Dennis Rodman, just an individual, just showing the world a fact that we can actually get along and be happy for one day.”
He then appeared overcome with emotion and seemed to start crying as he moved away from reporters, saying “I’m sorry.”
Rodman expressed regret over the interview last Thursday in which he implied Bae was to blame for his imprisonment, saying he had been feeling emotional after drinking.
Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for state subversion in North Korea, where he was detained in 2012 while leading a tour group. North Korea’s Supreme Court said he used his tourism business to form groups aimed at overthrowing the government.
Yesterday, Rodman expressed his thanks to “the Marshal,” which is Kim’s official title, for enabling his visit.
“It’s amazing that I had the opportunity just to go to North Korea, and for the Marshal to give me an opportunity just to be in his presence in the city,” he said. “This is not a bad deal.”
Rodman staged a basketball match in the North Korean capital Pyongyang to commemorate Kim’s birthday last Wednesday and led a rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Kim.
His trips had previously been financed by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, although it has now withdrawn its funding.
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