Dennis Rodman apologized on Monday for not being able to help American citizen Kenneth Bae, a missionary detained in North Korea, during his trip there to play in a game to celebrate Kim Jong-un’s birthday.
”I’m sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything,” Dennis Rodman told media on his arrival at Beijing airport from a weeklong trip.
”It’s not my fault. I’m sorry. I just want to do some good stuff, that’s all I want to do.”
The former NBA star said he would return to North Korea next month, but gave no details.
Dennis Rodman and the squad of retired NBA players he took to North Korea for an exhibition game marking Kim Jong-un’s birthday have met with criticism in the US because of North Korea’s human rights record and its development of nuclear weapons.
He was also slammed for not using his influence with Kim Jong-un to help free Kenneth Bae, who has been detained for more than a year for ”anti-state crimes.” Dennis Rodman apologized last week for comments he made in a CNN interview implying Kenneth Bae was at fault, saying he had been drinking and was upset because some of his teammates were leaving under pressure.
On Monday, Dennis Rodman reiterated that his trip to North Korea – in which he sang Happy Birthday to Kim Jong-un before playing the exhibition game at a Pyongyang stadium – was one of goodwill.
”This is not a bad deal,” he said.
”I want to show people that no matter what’s going on in the world, for one day, just one day, no politics, not all that stuff.
”I’m sorry for all the people and what’s going on, I’m sorry,” he continued.
”I’m not the president, I’m not an ambassador, I’m just an individual that wants to show the world the fact that we can actually get along and be happy for one day.”
Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-un struck up a friendship when the basketball-player-turned-celebrity first traveled to North Korea last year.
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