Dennis Rodman Appeals For Release Of US Citizen

Dennis Rodman Appeals For Release Of US Citizen

Dennis Rodman posted a message over Twitter asking the leader of North Korea to release Kenneth Bae, who was sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor.

Bae, a US citizen, was charged of hostile acts against the North. However, these acts were not specified by the North Korean government. He was arrested following his arrival at Rason City last November 3. Due to this, Dennis Rodman called on Kim Jong Un to release the Korean-American.

Terri Chung, the sister of Bae, said that her brother was not a spy and did not have any evil purpose against any country including North Korea. She added that her brother was able to go to North Korea five times last year and he owned a tour company.

The statement of the North did not give any information on the accusations against Bae, who has a visa to visit North Korea.

However, Bae may have been a missionary who tried to convert the people in the North, according to NK News. Bae reportedly revealed in 2011 that he will become a channel in the North and he will bring some missionary teams into the country.

The sentencing followed weeks of rhetoric from the North, which put a satellite into orbit last December and conducted a nuclear test last February. In response, the US deployed missile interceptors along the West Coast, enhanced the defense capabilities in Guam, and conducted their annual joint-military exercises with South Korea.

Last February, Dennis Rodman met with the Kim Jong Un during the visit of the former basketball star to North Korea. He told the supreme leader that he had a friend for life while watching a basketball exhibition in the capital.

However, the star said that he is not a politician and is not an official envoy of the US to North Korea. Dennis Rodman also said that Kim Jong Un and the people of North Korea were basketball fans.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday May 09 2013, 9:49 AM EDT. Ref: CNN. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0