‘Don’t expect too much’: Rodman plays down Trump-Kim summit breakthrough

SINGAPORE – Former US basketball star Dennis Rodman flew into Singapore late Monday, June 11, ahead of at summit betwen President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, playing down expectations of an immediate breakthrough at the historic meeting.

Rodman, who has struck up an unlikely friendship with the basketball loving North Korean leader, arrived in the city-state some 9 hours before Trump meets with Kim in a bid to negotiate an end to a decades-old nuclear stand-off.

He said he expected the Trump-Kim summit to “go fairly well” but added “people should not expect too much for the first time”.

“I’m just happy to be a part of it,” he told reporters at Changi Airport.

“I think that I brought awareness to a lot of things around the world and I think North Korea has given a lot of people the opportunity to do this conference now and I hope it’s a success.

“Who knew this would have happened 5 to 6 years ago… It’s exciting to be a part of it.”

Rodman, sporting a black t-shirt advertising a cryptocurrency he is involved with, said he was unsure whether he would get to meet with Kim – a man he has previously described as a “friend for life”.

“Every time I see him it’s always a surprise. So maybe tomorrow it’s the same thing. Maybe it’s a surprise I’ll see him tomorrow before he leaves,” he said.

Rodman has made 5 trips to Pyongyang since Kim took power. – Rappler.com