Ex-NBA player Rodman expected to arrive in North Korea Tuesday -CNN

Former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman is expected to arrive in North Korea on Tuesday for a trip the State Department said was not an official U.S. visit, CNN reported on Monday.


Rodman, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on previous trips to Pyongyang and has called him "an awesome kid," declined to answer questions when he was seen by CNN reporters at Beijing International Airport, the network said.

Tensions have heightened on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests and its vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, presenting U.S. 
President Donald Trump with perhaps his most pressing security worry.

Four Americans are also being held in North Korea, including 22-year-old student Otto Warmbier, who was detained in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for attempting to steal a propaganda banner.

Representatives for Rodman did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Rodman has defended his travels, saying in an interview with CNN in 2014 they would help "open the door" to North Korea.

The White House and State Department did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on whether Rodman would be working on behalf of the government in any way. However, Fox News, citing a senior Trump administration official, reported that Rodman was traveling to North Korea as a "private citizen."

Rodman appeared twice on Trump's pre-presidency "Celebrity Apprentice" show and praised the future president on Twitter during last year's election campaign.
The unpredictable Trump has offered some mixed messages to Kim Jong Un, saying he would be "honored" to meet him under the right conditions and describing the young leader as "a pretty smart cookie."

But Trump has also described Kim as a "madman with nuclear weapons" who could not be let on the loose.
CNN, citing two unidentified North Korean officials, said Rodman was expected to arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday, but gave no additional details on the purpose of the trip.

The basketball Hall of Famer has faced ridicule and criticism for his trips to North Korea, which some U.S. politicians and activists view as serving only as fodder for North Korean propaganda.

Rodman, 56, nicknamed "The Worm" during his playing career and known for his tattoos, body piercings and multi-colored hair, is considered one of the best defensive players and rebounders in NBA history.

He won five league championships with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls.