In a bizarre publicity stunt, former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman has arrived in Pyongyang today with media entity VICE.
In an interview given to Associated Press before the VICE team left Beijing for Pyongyang, it emerged that they are to film a new TV show to air on U.S. network HBO in early April, while the humanitarian angle on the trip is that of “basketball diplomacy”: the group hopes to hold a basketball camp for children in the North Korean capital.
“At a time when tensions between the two countries are running high, it’s important to keep lines of cultural communication open, no matter how non-traditional those channels may be,” Shane Smith, VICE founder and host of the upcoming TV series, claimed, adding, “It’s important to show North Koreans that America is not their enemy, and playing a game we both love is a step in the right direction.”
VICE has already produced a number of other shows featuring North Korea in some capacity.
