Five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman recently revealed that he thinks the leader of North Korea is ‘just like anybody else’, ignoring the despot’s multiple threats to attack the United States.
Kim Jong-un loves the theme song to the movie Rocky, plays table tennis and enjoys karaoke.
At least that’s what Dennis Rodman reveals about the despot.
In a recent interview, the former NBA star, who has close to ties to North Korea, says that his friend is misunderstood by both the mainstream media and the public and is ‘just like anybody else’.
And despite Kim’s constant threats to attack the US, Rodman claims the country’s leader told him: ‘I don’t want to bomb anyone’.
Rodman has had a very unique relationship with North Korea for years, ever since Kim – who is reportedly obsessed with the team the Chicago Bulls – wanted to meet the former member.
Rodman has visited the country six times since 2013 and appears to be very close with Kim, who holds the title of Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) .
He even revealed: ‘No one’s ever held his baby before but me.’
In an interview with DuJour Magazine, Rodman claimed that when Kim is around his people, ‘he’s just like anybody else’.
‘He jokes and loves playing basketball, table tennis, pool. They love American ’80s music. They do karaoke, ‘ Rodman said of Kim.
‘He has this 13-piece girls’ band with violins… He loves The Doors and Jimi Hendrix… When I first went, the live band only played two songs for four hours: the theme songs from Rocky’and Dallas.’
The Hall of Famer also praised the country’s ‘improvements’ stating that Kim is a true innovator.
‘It’s funny, because when I first went there it was so… Communist, ‘ Rodman said.
‘Dry and dreary and like, I don’ t know. Everything is so dead.
‘But the third time I went there, wow. [Pyongyang] changed a lot. New buildings were popping up and [Kim] is building all these new condos and hotels.
‘He built the largest water park in the world, a ski resort and this big bowling alley. He’s doing everything for these people. You could go bowl for a quarter all day or go swimming all day for like 50 cents.’
Despite this human portrayal of Kim, many can’t help but wonder how true it is, especially given reports of the despot’s cruel and unusual punishments.
In 2013, Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, was accused of being a counter-revolutionary, and was arrested and executed firing squad style.
It was a dramatic fall for a man who was once considered Kim’s top adviser.
Such brutal purges of top officials have been a key strategy the leadership uses to keep a handle on power.
Satellite-images have also discovered North Korean’s prison-camp system – where as many as 120,000 men, women and children are held.
Prisoners are often subjected to forced labor, torture, starvation, rape and death – although Pyongyang denies that the camps even exist.
The most recent worry has arisen over North Korea’s faithfulness to its nuclear arms program. Several weapons continue to be developed with the eventual goal of a missile powerful enough to reach the US.
Of Kim’s nuclear plans, Rodman adds: ‘He’s saying the reason why they have the nuclear bombs is because they know that Americans think they can take over.
‘He says, « I don’t want to bomb anyone. But we keep our nuclear weapons because we’re such a small country – that’s the only way we can defend ourselves ».
‘They just want people in America and the government to know they don’t hate Americans. They want to work with Americans.’
