Dennis Rodman says he’s ‘praying’ for his friend Kim Jong-Un and says he hopes reports of the North Korean dictator’s ailing health are ‘just a rumor’
- Dennis Rodman has said he’s ‘praying’ Kim Jong-Un makes a speedy recovery after reports surfaced suggesting the North Korean leader in on his deathbed
- Rodman told TMZ on Wednesday that he hopes the unconfirmed reports that the 36-year-old Supreme Leader’s ailing health are ‘just a rumor’
- Rodman, who was, for a time, known as the unofficial US ambassador to North Korea, shares a bizarre friendship with the North Korean leader
- ‘I hope it’s just a rumor that Marshal Kim Jong-Un is sick,’ Rodman said. ‘Hopefully I will find out more soon’
Chicago Bull legend Dennis Rodman has said he’s ‘praying’ Kim Jong-Un makes a speedy recovery after reports surfaced suggesting the North Korean leader in on his deathbed.
Rodman told TMZ on Wednesday that he hopes the unconfirmed reports that the 36-year-old Supreme Leader suffered catastrophic health complications following a botched surgery are ‘just a rumor’.
South Korean media first reported on April 12 that Kim Jong-Un had undergone a cardiovascular system procedure in North Pyongyang as a result of ‘excessive smoking, obesity and overworking’. A week later, US media received a tip from an intelligence official that the dictator was in a critical condition.
‘I hope it’s just a rumor that Marshal Kim Jong-Un is sick,’ Rodman said. ‘Hopefully I will find out more soon.’
Chicago Bull legend Dennis Rodman has said he’s ‘praying’ Kim Jong-Un makes a speedy recovery after reports surfaced suggesting the North Korean leader in on his deathbed.
Rodman told TMZ on Wednesday that he hopes the unconfirmed reports that the 36-year-old Supreme Leader (pictured together in 2013) suffered catastrophic health complications following a botched surgery are ‘just a rumor’
‘There is still so much work we have to do between both the USA and DPRK,’ the 58-year-old continued. ‘If he is not feeling well, I am praying for his speedy recovery, so that both my friends [President Trump & Marshal Kim] can continue towards a peaceful success.’
Kim was last seen at a government meeting on April 11. Speculation about his health was first raised after he missed the celebration of his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday on April 15.
Alternatively, he may have been advised to stay away from public gatherings because of coronavirus, despite Pyongyang’s claims that it has zero cases of Covid-19. There have been major outbreaks in neighbouring South Korea and China.
Although his age does not put him in a high-risk category, it is feared that his heavy drinking, smoking and obesity would put the 36-year-old at grave risk if he were to catch it.
Rodman, who was, for a time, known as the unofficial US ambassador to North Korea, shares a bizarre friendship with the North Korean leader.
In February 2013, Rodman traveled to North Korea to host a series of basketball exhibitions, becoming the first American citizen to personally meet Kim Jong-Un. He later said that Kim was a ‘friend for life’ and instructed then-President Barack Obama to ‘pick up the phone and call Kim,’ suggesting the two leaders could bond over their mutual love of basketball.
He told Sports Illustrated: ‘My mission is to break the ice between hostile countries. Why it’s been left to me to smooth things over, I don’t know. Dennis Rodman, of all people. Keeping us safe is really not my job…But I’ll tell you this: If I don’t finish in the top three for the next Nobel Peace Prize, something’s seriously wrong.’
Rodman, who was, for a time, known as the unofficial US ambassador to North Korea, shares a bizarre friendship with the North Korean leader (pictured together in 2013)
South Korean media first reported on April 12 that Kim Jong-Un had undergone a cardiovascular system procedure in North Pyongyang as a result of ‘excessive smoking, obesity and overworking’. A week later, US media received a tip from an intelligence official that the dictator was in a critical condition
In September the same year her returned to Pyongyang for another meeting with Kim. Rodman became the first to reveal that Kim has a daughter and described the dictator as a ‘great dad’.
Rodman made his final trip to North Korea in 2017, where he met with national Olympic athletes and basketball players, and though he didn’t meet with Kim he gave him several gifts, including two signed basketball jerseys and a copy of Donald Trump’s 1987 book, Art of the Deal.
In a video posted to Twitter after the trip, Rodman said he was going to try and bring peace between the US and North Korea.
‘That’s the main reason why we’re going. We’re trying to bring everything together. If not, at least we tried.’