Dennis Rodman enjoyed his time in North Korea, so much that he is giving advice to the president on how to deal with the leader of the Asia’s fourth largest economy. Rodman believes that President Obama can get to the bottom of the country’s defiance of U.N. sanctions to prep for an alleged nuclear attack on the U.S., by merely picking up the phone.
“He [Kim Jong Un] wants Obama to do one thing: Call him,” Rodman told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos during his first interview since traveling to North Korea and meeting with the elusive Jong Un, who took over after the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il. “[Kim] loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said, ‘Obama loves basketball.’ Let’s start there.”
Rodman was in town alongside three members of the Harlem Globtrotters for a new show put on by VICE television, to air on HBO later in the year.
Jong Un holds a secretive relationship with the U.S., and other countries, closely guarding North Korea’s land from visitors, and has tried to sidestep claims of widespread starvation, and human rights violations, across the country.
With all of this in mind, the former NBA player traveled to North Korea, and had a great time, becoming very close with Jong Un. “He loves power. He loves control,” Rodman said of his new friend. “But guess what? He doesn’t want war. That’s one thing he doesn’t want.”
Secretary of State John Kerry commended “The Worm’s” attempt at diplomacy, but urged him to stay in his lane. “Dennis Rodman was a great basketball player. And as a diplomat, he is a great basketball player. And that’s where we’ll leave it,” Kerry told NBC News.
Like his father, Jong Un is known as an being an oppressive dictator. In January the U.N. Secretary Council condemned North Korea’s launch of a satellite into space, which is believed to be preparation for a nuclear attack aimed at the U.S.. The Japan Times reports that the country has expanded its launch site, and is working to improve missile accuracy.
See photos from Rodman’s trip below.
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Photo: Amy Wong/AP/L.A Times
