Dennis Rodman Kenneth Bae
Could it be that Kenneth Bae’s release from a North Korean labor camp was made possible by Dennis Rodman?
According to the Worm, that may very well be the case. A report obtained by TMZ.com references claims made by Rodman, who says he helped secure the sudden release of Bae, who spent months as a prisoner at the camp with Matthew Todd Miller. ABC News reports the pair arrived at McChord Field, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington state late Saturday.
Rodman revealed to TMZ that he intervened before Bae was set free via a letter he sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in January. The former Chicago Bull goes on to say that he believes the trips he took to North Korea influenced Bae’s release. In the 23 page letter, which was sent about two weeks after Rodman returned to the United States from a fourth trip to North Korea in January, the athlete pleaded with Jong Un for Bae’s release.
“I write to you saddened because as you know my trips to the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) have provided a lot of problems for me and for my career,” Rodman wrote in the letter, which was obtained by TMZ. “I would like to come back … to discuss the possible release of the American citizen, Kenneth Bae.”
The 53-year-old athlete cited a previous visit he made to North Korea in late 2013 “for fun, not politics.” During his four days in the country, Rodman wrote that he trained North Korea’s national basketball team as well as stayed at the Masikryong Ski Resort with the “most beautiful” slopes he’d ever seen.
In addition, he wrote that he would not be able to return for his basketball outreach if the North Korean government did not release Bae. Rodman continued to strike a personal nerve with Jong Un as he reportedly signed off calling the controversial North Korean leader his “friend for life.”
For more about Rodman’s effort to free Bae, visit the Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, Kennth Bae’s family is calling a foul on Rodman as far as him taking credit for Bae’s release.
The family of Kenneth Bae, an American citizen detained in North Korea, is “outraged” by former NBA star Dennis Rodman’s comments suggesting that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was right to detain the missionary.
“Dennis Rodman could do a lot of good by advocating for Kenneth to Kim Jong-un, but instead he has decided to hurl outrageous accusations at my brother, insinuating that Kenneth has done something sinister,” Bae’s sister, Terri Chung, said in a statement today.
“He is clearly uninformed about Kenneth’s case, and he is certainly not in any position to pass judgment on Kenneth Bae, who has never any hostile intentions against the DPRK,” she added.
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