international intrigue

America’s Foremost Eccentric Alcoholic Athlete Is on a Diplomatic Mission in North Korea

Dennis Rodman attends the Battle of the Codes poker game held at Star City March 20, 2008 in Sydney, Australia.
Diplomat. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images

As part of a Vice series to air on HBO, Dennis Rodman (as well as some Harlem Globetrotters) traveled to North Korea today, where they will “engage in a little ‘basketball diplomacy’ by running a basketball camp for children and playing pickup games with locals, and by competing alongside top athletes of North Korea,” the AP reports.

Kim Jong-un was reportedly a fan of the Chicago Bulls when Rodman played on the team, and the average North Korean man on the street seems just as excited for Rodman’s visit:

Shown a photo of a snarling Rodman, piercings dangling from his lower lip and two massive tattoos emblazoned on his chest, one North Korean in Pyongyang recoiled and said: “He looks like a monster!”

Sure, Rodman might take a little getting used to. But, really, what could go wrong? Maybe Rodman will show up to an official state dinner in a wedding dress, drink too much, and kick Kim Jong-un in the groin. Besides that, though.

Dennis Rodman Traveling to North Korea