After a very controversial gesture, former NBA player Dennis Rodman returns from his 5-day trip to North Korea. He went to the rogue state in hopes to open up diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang in the midst of an ongoing nuclear crisis.
What was the result of Rodman's North Korean visit?
According to reports, Rodman said that he had a "really good" trip in North Korea. He added that everybody is going to be happy after his trip, though he wouldn't disclose any details about his engagement with Kim Jong-un and his ministers. However, it is known that Rodman gave North Korean ministers a copy of the U.S.
President Donald Trump's bestseller, "The art of the deal" and a "Where's Waldo" book.
He didn't comment on his involvement in the release of American political prisoner, Otto Warmbier, who was sent home after being diagnosed with brain damage after more than a year of detainment. Though Rodman didn't directly say that he met the North Korean president, many are assuming that the former NBA star didn't meet the reclusive leader in person at all.
Despite this, Rodman's visit to North Korea is a major event in the whole Korean crisis, though it is still not sure whether his trip will cause any easing of tensions between the U.S. and the rogue state.
What is the state of the Korean crisis at the moment?
The United States is slowly increasing its presence in the area. This is after the Pentagon issued deployment orders for three carrier groups to Asia, particularly in the Korean peninsula and near the Sea of Japan. The United States had also tested its anti-ICBM system which needs more improvements according to Military sources.
However, the major news in the Korean crisis is the apparent pro-unification position of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Moon wants to open diplomatic talks with the North, which is directly opposite to what the United States wanted. The Pentagon wants North Korea to enter diplomacy on its knees, rather than be treated as co-equals.
Washington demands Pyongyang to end its ballistic missile program and halt any development of nuclear capabilities, a demand which North Korea will not accept.
According to North Korean ambassadors to the United Nations, the only way for them to halt its nuclear ambition is for the U.S. to completely lift all sanctions. This is a possibility that is unacceptable for the United States thus the statement continues. However, maybe through Dennis Rodman, a peaceful solution to the Korean crisis is just really a soda can away.
