PYONGYANG — Ending his unexpected round of basketball diplomacy in North Korea on Friday, ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman called leader Kim Jong un an "awesome guy" and said his father and grandfather were "great leaders." Rodman, the highest-profile American to meet Kim since he inherited power from father Kim Jong il in 2011, watched a basketball game with the authoritarian leader Thursday and later drank and dined on sushi with him. At Pyongyang's Sunan airport on his way to Beijing, Rodman said it was "amazing" that the North Koreans were "so honest." He added that Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founder, "were great leaders." "He's proud, his country likes him — not like him, love him, love him," Rodman said of Kim Jong-un. "Guess what, I love him. The guy's really awesome." Rodman's visit to North Korea began Monday and took place amid tension between Washington and Pyongyang. North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test just two weeks ago, making clear the provocative act was a warning to the United States to drop what it considers a "hostile" policy toward the North. Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told the former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls star that he hoped the visit would break the ice between the United States and North Korea, said Shane Smith, founder of the New York-based VICE media company. Kim laughed and slapped his hands on a table during the game at Jong Ju-yong Gymnasium as he sat nearly knee to knee with Rodman. After the game, Rodman addressed Kim in a speech before a crowd of tens of thousands of North Koreans and told him, Kim said he hoped sports exchanges would promote "mutual understanding between the people of the two countries," the official Korean Central News Agency said. Rodman's trip is the second attention-grabbing American visit this year to North Korea. Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, made a four-day trip in January to Pyongyang, but did not meet the North Korean leader. The Obama administration had frowned on the trip by Schmidt, who was accompanied by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, but has avoided criticizing Rodman's outing, saying it's about sports. — AP
