Former NBA player Dennis Rodman is using his good graces with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to plead for the release of a Korean-American man who was sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp.
"I'm calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea or as I call him "Kim," to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose," Rodman tweeted on Tuesday.
A few hours later, he tweeted that his actions were "in direct response," to a Seattle Times editorial daring Rodman to request Kim Jong Un free the incarcerated Korean-American.
After visiting North Korea in February as part of a VICE Media documentary, Rodman reportedly became friendly with the dictator, as the two were seen sitting next to one another, watching an exhibition basketball game.
His trip followed a rocky time between United States and Pyongyang, with the latter country threatening civil war and use of nuclear weaponry.
The North Korean Supreme Court upped the tension by sentencing American Kenneth Bae to 15 years in a labor camp for plotting to commit hostile acts against the government in Pyongyang earlier in May.
Bae, a tour operator in China, was arrested in the economic area of Rason, in northeastern North Korea, following a trip in which a handful of Chinese businesspeople were escorted by Bae around the country.
Originally, Bae faced the death sentence for allegedly trying to overthrow the government. The North Korean political set initially thought Bae was up to no good due to some photos of children he had taken that were on his computer.
Rodman's brief but heavily-covered interaction with Kim Jong Un may not be enough to grant Bae political asylum, and other celebrities have made this notion clear upon seeing Rodman's tweet.
Drag queen actress Elaine Lancaster facetiously tweeted at Rodman, "Hopefully he'll listen, Mr. Ambassador," which Rodman promptly retweeted.
