Hall of Fame basketball player Dennis Rodman has never been one to shy away from controversy or the spotlight. That is still certainly the case, although his act is taking place on a much grander stage now: the very tense situation with North Korea. The issues with North Korea are well-documented. It’s pretty much a completely closed country that operates entirely on the propaganda of its leader, Kim Jong-un (and the leader before him, his father Kim Jong-il. North Korea also possessed nuclear weapons, and has threatened to use them many times.
So how does Dennis Rodman fit into this? Well, he’s somehow become really good friends with Kim Jong-un. Rodman secured an invite to the country in February, and since has grown a seemingly close relationship with the North Korean dictator; Rodman recently returned from another trip and provided information about Kim Jong-un’s daughter. Rodman also expressed a desire to train the North Korean basketball team for the Olympics.
The problem with all of this is that this situation goes beyond the fun and games Rodman seems to view it as, and he certainly shouldn’t be turning it into a media circus. North Korea has severe problems with starvation among most of its citizens, and this fact is apparently completely ignored by the North Korean government while they live in luxury. On top of that, North Korea is a legitimate threat to the national security of the US, and Rodman probably has more knowledge about some of Kim Jong-un’s plans than almost anyone else in this country does. It’s inappropriate for him to form such a bond and ignore the major issues that Kim Jong-un generates both for the North Korean citizens and the United States as a whole. He’s indirectly supporting the atrocities that the dictator is responsible for, and turning a blind eye and a deaf ear whenever he’s asked about it. Dennis Rodman is clearly just searching for attention; however, he should start looking to get it in some other manner.