Mr. Spavor gained prominence for helping arrange the visits to North Korea by Dennis Rodman, the former N.B.A. During one of those visits, Mr. Spavor met the country’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong-un, and in appearances in Beijing he would fondly speak about their friendship, though the extent of it was not clear. He posted notes on Twitter and Facebook on Sunday that he planned to travel to South Korea on Monday for several days of consulting work. But he did not appear, as planned, at a lecture organized there by the Royal Asiatic Society, according to members of the group. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s foreign minister, disclosed the second case, and during a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday she urged China to let the legal process unfold.

Source: New York Times December 13, 2018 03:38 UTC