Former NBA star Dennis Rodman says he's "just trying to open the door," to North Korea as he visits the reclusive country, but won't raise the issue of Americans detained there.
Asked what he was trying to accomplish in Pyongyang, Rodman said at Beijing International Airport: "Just trying to open the door, to open the door, that's it."
Rodman has visited North Korea four times to engage in what he calls "basketball diplomacy." His last visit was three years back when he sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a Pyongyang stadium and then bowed down to him.
He is one of the only Americans to have met Kim and arrives at a time of escalating tensions between North Korea, its neighbours and the US as Pyongyang has been firing missiles almost every week since last month and seeks to expand its nuclear weapons program.
Four Americans are currently detained in North Korea. But Rodman won't discuss their fate with Kim, a basketball fan.
"That is not my purpose right now. My purpose is to try and go over there and keep bringing sports to North Korea. That's the main thing," Rodman said. "I'm pretty sure that I can do something that is positive."
Rodman has earlier called Kim a "friend for life," and also endorsed Donald Trump during his campaign for the US presidency, saying he had been "a great friend for many years" in a 2015 tweet.
Asked at Beijing airport if he had spoken to Trump, Rodman said: "I'm pretty sure he's pretty much happy of the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need."
Rodman's "birthday trip" to Pyongyang triggered outrage in the US. "I think he's an idiot," US Senator John McCain said at the time.
Kim took power in 2011 after the death of his father Kim Jong Il, who once said he admired NBA legend Michael Jordan.
Rodman has remained silent about human rights violations in North Korea and has drawn criticism for providing "positive propaganda" for Kim.
As to what he will achieve there, if anything, Rodman tweeted: "I'll discuss when I return."
The ex-NBA player's trip was being sponsored by PotCoin, a cybercurrency for legal marijuana.
