Former NBA star Dennis Rodman is heading to North Korea with VICE Media Inc., reports to the Washington Post.
Rodman, a.k.a. ‘The Worm,’ a.k.a. the guy who married Carmen Electra in Vegas, is set to arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday and will reportedly be accompanied by three members of the Harlem Globetrotters, a VICE correspondent and a production crew. They will be shooting footage for a new TV documentary slated to debut on HBO on April 5.
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VICE told the Associated Press that the Americans hope to engage in a little “basketball diplomacy” and will be running a camp for children, playing pickup games with locals, and may scrimmage with some of the country’s top athletes. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, is said to be a basketball fan. Said VICE founder Shane Smith:
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. 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, a Brooklyn-based media company, has made two previous visits to North Korea. In 2006, they produced the ‘VICE Guide to North Korea,’ ABC News reported.
Rodman’s trip is the second high-profile American visit this year to North Korea: Google’s executive chairman made a four-day trip to Pyongyang in January. The visit also comes two weeks after North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test.
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