Former NBA star Dennis Rodman says he plans to return to North Korea to vacation with his good friend Kim Jong Un later on this summer.
"We have no plans really, as far as what we're going to do over there, but we'll just hang and have some fun!" said Rodman.
In his first trip to North Korea, Rodman accompanied the Harlem Globetrotters players and some reporters back in February, a visit that was endorsed by the U.S. State Department. The trip didn't win much support of his fans, but the icing on the cake came when Rodman spoke candidly about the young leader calling Kim a "great guy."
Rodman attempted to portray Kim as misguided young man with good intentions who's desperate to remove the shadow casted upon him by his late father's legacy, Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011.
"He's not his dad. Not his grandpa. He's 28 years old," Rodman said, adding that even though he doesn't condone Kim's litany of abuses - which include the mass imprisonment of some 200,000 citizens in forced labor camps and widespread, government-induced food shortages - he's not passing judgment. After all, didn't Bill Clinton sleep with his "secretary"?
Fox Sports reported that Rodman recently traveled to Fargo, N.D., over the weekend for a promotional appearance at a local bar. While there he told KVLY-KXJB that he doesn't think Kim wants war and that he considers the leader a friend even though he doesn't condone what he does.
"I'm not a total idiot," said Rodman. "I know what Kim Jong-un is threatening to do regarding his military muscle. I hope it doesn't happen because America will take whatever actions to protect America and our allies. I do think, umm, you know, that we have to talk to people who want to cause us harm so hopefully they won't."
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