Dennis Rodman Rips Obama Over North Korea, Failure to Free Kenneth Bae
Dennis Rodman has ripped Barack Obama, claiming that the U.S. president has been ineffective in helping to free American citizen Kenneth Bae who is being held prisoner in North Korea and claims he will take action himself.
Bae was recently sentenced to 15 years hard labor for unspecified "hostile acts" against North Korea.
The former NBA star was criticized by some when he took a trip to the peninsula earlier this year. Rodman met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when he first visited the state on a "basketball diplomacy" mission in February while filming a documentary for HBO. Rodman was photographed laughing with Kim courtside. The two became pals during the trip, and Rodman insisted at the end of his trip that Kim is a "really awesome guy.
Rodman has not allowed the criticism to stop him at all. He plans on visiting the country again on August 1 to have a sit-down with leader Kim Jong-un. It is believed Rodman hopes to meet with the North Korean leader to discuss the case of Bae, a devout Christian who was reportedly arrested after taking photos of starving children in the North.
The U.S. has been relying on Swedish diplomats in Pyongyang to deal with the issue because North Korea and the U.S. haven't had diplomatic relations since the 1953 ceasefire that ended the Korean War.
Rodman, the basketball legend known as "The Worm," ripped into Obama for failing to speak with Kim. Rodman said he plans to try to get Bae released during his August trip.
"I'm not a diplomat, man, I'm just trying to go over there," Rodman said. "But I'm going to do one thing for you. We got a black president can't even go talk to him, how about that one? ... I'll put it like this, Obama can't do s**t. I don't know why he won't do it. So do that bulls**t."
In March, Rodman asked Obama to call Kim.
The U.S. State Department had no involvement in Rodman's visit, and has no plans to debrief the former athlete.
