Retired NBA star Dennis Rodman is reportedly going to North Korea for yet another visit in the country. This news was confirmed by two officials from Pyongyang, who said that the hotshot will be arriving on the foreign soil today, June 13. In fact, the 56-year-old athlete was seen at Beijing International Airport but refused to give his words when asked about his tour.
What's the purpose of his visit?
The unnamed officials who confirmed Dennis Rodman's visit to North Korea declined to comment on the purpose of his visit. However, this is not the first time that the Hall of Famer will set a foot in the country.
He had the first trip in Pyongyang was when he hosted a series of basketball exhibitions with Vice Media's Ryan Duffy in February 2013. The basketball legend and his company were the first Americans to have come face-to-face with DPRK's Kim Jong Un.
The former Dallas Mavericks player also attended the leader's birthday party, where he led the singing of the birthday song. He even called Kim Jong Un "a friend for life" and asked the then-president Barack Obama to call his North Korean counterpart to talk about their common interest -- basketball.
Dennis Rodman, however, was slammed for failing to discuss Kenneth Bae's case with the supreme leader during the visit. The Korean-American missionary was convicted for his alleged hostile acts.
After receiving a surge of criticisms, the former NBA star asked the North Korean government to release the prisoner, which they did after two years of holding him under their custody.
His first North Korean visit was followed by two more, which happened between 2013 and 2014. At some point, Dennis Rodman even described Kim Jong Un a "great dad" to his daughter Kim Ju Ae.
The athlete has previously said that his visits were meant to open the minds of the public about Pyongyang and their leader.
"Break the ice between hostile countries"
Although he knew for a fact that it is not his job to resolve this decade-long warlike relationship between Pyongyang and Washington, Dennis Rodman insisted that he would like to put an end to this issue in order to keep everyone safe.
The former NBA player was even accused of becoming a PR for Kim Jong Un's government, but he firmly denied that he is a diplomat.
He also thinks that he is not compelled to discuss cases like Kenneth Bae's imprisonment with the North Korean leader. Similarly, the retired player has previously accused the Korean-American missionary of being at fault for his detention. Dennis Rodman later apologized for his statements and was even credited by Kenneth Bae for his release.
