Rodman says NK's Kims 'great leaders'
Source: Agencies |
March 2, 2013, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ENDING his unexpected round of basketball diplomacy in North Korea yesterday, ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman called leader Kim Jong Un an "awesome guy" and said his father and grandfather were "great leaders."
Rodman, the highest-profile American to meet Kim since he inherited power from father Kim Jong Il in 2011, watched a basketball game with the young leader on Thursday and drank and dined on sushi with him.
At Pyongyang's Sunan airport on his way to Beijing, Rodman said it was "amazing" that the North Koreans were "so honest." He added that Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder, "were great leaders."
"He's proud, his country likes him - not like him, love him, love him," Rodman said of Kim Jong Un. "Guess what, I love him. The guy's really awesome."
Rodman's visit to North Korea began on Monday and took place amid tension between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago, making clear the act was a warning to the United States to drop what it considers a "hostile" policy toward Pyongyang.
Rodman traveled to Pyongyang with three members of the professional Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, a VICE correspondent and a production crew shooting an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series.
Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told the former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls star he hoped the visit would break the ice between the US and North Korea, said Shane Smith, founder of the New York-based VICE media.
Rodman, the highest-profile American to meet Kim since he inherited power from father Kim Jong Il in 2011, watched a basketball game with the young leader on Thursday and drank and dined on sushi with him.
At Pyongyang's Sunan airport on his way to Beijing, Rodman said it was "amazing" that the North Koreans were "so honest." He added that Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder, "were great leaders."
"He's proud, his country likes him - not like him, love him, love him," Rodman said of Kim Jong Un. "Guess what, I love him. The guy's really awesome."
Rodman's visit to North Korea began on Monday and took place amid tension between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago, making clear the act was a warning to the United States to drop what it considers a "hostile" policy toward Pyongyang.
Rodman traveled to Pyongyang with three members of the professional Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, a VICE correspondent and a production crew shooting an episode on North Korea for a new weekly HBO series.
Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told the former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls star he hoped the visit would break the ice between the US and North Korea, said Shane Smith, founder of the New York-based VICE media.
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