Tensions have heightened on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang’s recent nuclear and missile tests
Former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman is expected to arrive in North Korea on Tuesday for a trip the State Department said was not an official U. S. visit, CNN reported on Monday.
Rodman, who met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on previous trips to Pyongyang and has called him “an awesome kid, ” declined to answer questions when he was seen by CNN reporters at Beijing International Airport, the network said.
Tensions have heightened on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests and its vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U. S. mainland.
Four Americans are also being held in North Korea, including 22-year-old student Otto Warmbier, who was detained in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor for attempting to steal a propaganda banner.
Representatives for Rodman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
