Former NBA star Dennis Rodman on Wednesday called for the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean American who has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea, journal Politico reported.
Rodman tweeted, "I'm calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea or as I call him Pudgy 'Kim,' to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose."
| You tell him, you lovable weirdo you... |
Back in February, the eccentric ex-basketballer went to Pyongyang, where he spent some time watching a game and having dinner with Kim. Returning to the U.S., Rodman called Kim an "awesome guy" and a "friend."
In April, he said he would like to visit Pyongyang again in August, adding that he and Kim "have no plans really, as far as what we're going to do over there, but we'll just hang and have some fun."
Politico commented Rodman is acting as if he were an unofficial diplomat.
| Worse yet, he's showing up John Kerry... |
Bae, a North Korea tour operator with a business near the Chinese-North Korea border, was arrested in November after entering the North via Rajin-Songbong Port with a group of foreign tourists. He was arrested and sentenced for unspecified crimes against the repressive state. |