Dennis Rodman Says/Tweets That He's Calling on Kim Jong Un to Release American Prisoner
A tweet's not worth the paper its printed on
Kenneth Bae, an American tour operator, was arrested in North Korea in November and sentenced earlier this month to 15 years of hard labor. On a January visit to North Korea, former governer and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson failed even to secure a meeting with Bae. Now Dennis Rodman, who recently visited North Korea and says he considers Kim Jong Un a "friend for life", has responded to an op-ed in the Seattle Times urging him to try to secure a release for Bae. But it's only a tweet, which in full reads: "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." Kim Jong Un, not a user of Twitter, is unlikely to see Rodman's message. Rodman could call Kim, maybe? If he's got a phone number that works.
In other North Korea news, the regime has moved its missiles away from their coastal launching sites, indicating an easing of tension. It's also warned South Korea and the U.S. not to violate its sovereignty during military drills the two countries have scheduled.