Kim Jong-un's best friend's secret mission

Former US basketball star Dennis Rodman has just made a trip to North Korea and his mission this time certainly has many secrets behind the public images and events.

Just hours after Rodman arrived in North Korea, Kim Jong Un's government released University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier after 17 months of detention.

Photo: AP

As he flew from Beijing to Pyongyang, Dennis Rodman hinted at his trip. "I will talk about my mission when I return to the United States," the legendary basketball star told reporters.

Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-un's friendship dates back to 2000, when then-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright brought a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, a teammate of Rodman's, to North Korea on a diplomatic mission.

Rodman first visited North Korea in February 2013, becoming one of the first Americans to meet Kim Jong Un, who took over after his father's death in 2011. The trip was at Kim Jong Un's invitation and the two watched a friendly soccer match.

In September of that year, Rodman returned to North Korea and made another similar trip in January 2014, this time bringing along former NBA players for an exhibition match.

In an interview with CNN at that time, Rodman spoke out in defense of Kim Jong Un and his visits to North Korea.

He focused on questions surrounding the timing of the trip, which came shortly after Kim Jong Un’s uncle was executed and American missionary Kenneth Bae was detained by Pyongyang. (Bae was released in November 2014.)

After returning to the US, Rodman spent three weeks in a rehab center to "step things down," but not to quit drinking.

Now that Donald Trump is the new White House boss, there is speculation that Rodman, who appeared on Trump's Celebrity Apprentice for two seasons, is following the US President's request.

Rodman didn't say a word about it. He only said: "I'm pretty sure he's happy with the fact that I'm here trying to do something that we both need."

Rodman didn't say what he was trying to accomplish. Maybe just a big prize.

"My job is to break the ice between hostile countries," the US basketball star said in 2013. "It's not my job to keep us safe; that's President Obama's job."

According to Vietnamnet.vn