He had arrived in North Korea on Tuesday, saying that he wanted to “open the door” to the regime and claiming that US President Donald Trump would be pleased with his mission. While in North Korea, Rodman was shown in video and photos presenting the isolated country’s sports minister Kim Il Guk with off-the-wall gifts that included a copy of Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal”, soap, two autographed jerseys and a copy of “Where’s Waldo? This is at least the fifth trip to North Korea for the heavily pierced and tattooed former basketball star. This latest visit comes amid high tensions between Washington and Pyongyang following a series of missile tests by the North, which have triggered tightened UN sanctions. US officials repeatedly said Rodman was traveling to North Korea as a private citizen, despite speculation he was working as an unofficial emissary for Trump.

Source: Manila Times June 17, 2017 08:15 UTC