Rodman and Kim Watch Basketball Match

Chinese news agency Xinhua has reported that former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Eun watched a basketball game together earlier today.

Citing witnesses, the report noted, “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s top leader Kim Jong Eun and former NBA star Dennis Rodman sat together and watched a basketball game between U.S. and DPRK players Thursday.”

The game featured twelve members of the North Korean national team and four players from the U.S.-based Harlem Globetrotters exhibition team. It apparently ended in a 110-110 draw.

Rodman reportedly commented after the game, “Although relations between the two countries are regrettable, personally I am a friend of Marshal Kim Jong Eun and the DPRK people.”

The report drew particular attention to the fact that the two men spoke without interpretation.

According to the report, Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters’ visit was initiated after an invitation was issued by the North Korean Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports.

Christopher Green is a researcher in Korean Studies based at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Chris has published widely on North Korean political messaging strategies, contemporary South Korean broadcast media, and the socio-politics of Korean peninsula migration. He is the former Manager of International Affairs for Daily NK. His X handle is: @Dest_Pyongyang.