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North Korea Gets Basketball Diplomacy

The fate of United States diplomatic relations, at least with North Korea, could rest in the hands of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, several Harlem Globetrotters and a VICE magazine reporter, the Associated Press reports.

Last week Rodman, also known as “The Worm,” tweeted out such gems as: “Take care of your teeth people!” This week, however, the flamboyant celebrity is exercising his diplomatic chops and walking in the footsteps of illustrious diplomats, such as Ambassador Bill Richardson, by visiting one of the world’s most cloistered countries.

He also said he looks forward to “sitting down” with Kim Jong Un, the chief of state and apparently a fan of Rodman’s old team, the Chicago Bulls.


“I love the people of North Korea.” He tweeted. “They love basketball here.”


He also said he is honored to represent the United States. He emphatically tweeted, however, that he is no politician.

HOH did reach out to Richardson, a former House member and ambassador to the United Nations who has helped negotiate some tricky U.S.-North Korea situations, to see if he has any advice for Rodman and his cohorts. Unfortunately, Richardson’s office told us he is out of the country this week.

We, on the other hand, do have some advice for Rodman:

If you do happen to run into Psy, the “Gangnam Style dude,” it would be something spectacular. Psy is from South Korea. The two countries aren’t all that friendly, and there was recently a flurry over North Korea appropriating parts of “Gangnam Style” for propaganda. If he turns up in North Korea, be sure to alert the media!

Still, we have every faith that you, the Harlem Globetrotters and the dude from VICE will do us proud.

Have fun looking at things, guys!

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