Rodman is expected to arrive in North Korea later on 13. His trip is not an official visit.
Coincidentally, on the same day Rodman arrived in North Korea, North Korea released Warmbier, an American college student who had been detained for 17 months.
The coincidence of time makes people wonder whether Rodman's "basketball diplomacy" has played a role.
After all, Rodman can be said to be an "old friend" of North Korea. He had been to North Korea at least four times before this visit.
It is said that Rodman has a good personal relationship with Kim Jong-un, the top leader of North Korea. On June 20 14, when he visited North Korea, he personally sang a birthday song for Kim Jong-un.
Rodman called his series of visits "basketball diplomacy". In an exclusive interview with the American fashion magazine DuJour on 20 15, he said, "He is opening the door to a country with sports."
However, the association that "basketball diplomacy is helpful to the release of American college students" was quickly refuted by the State Council.
The US the State Council 14 said that Warmbier's release had nothing to do with Rodman's visit to the DPRK, but was based on the instructions of US President Trump to strive for Warmbier's release.
Reuters reported that the release of North Korea was facilitated by a rare secret visit to North Korea by a high-level American delegation.
Reuters said that some American officials said that before Warmbier's release, there were a series of secret contacts between the United States and the DPRK, and Yin Rushang, the State Council's special representative for DPRK policy, visited Pyongyang and asked the DPRK to grant Warmbier freedom on humanitarian grounds.