On his way to the airport, Rodman vowed to return and said his “thoughts and prayers” are with the family of Otto Warmbier, an American student who was arrested and imprisoned in the North for 17 months, then released just hours before Rodman’s arrival.
Warmbier suffered severe brain damage while in custody. Doctors in Ohio described him as being in a state of “unresponsive wakefulness” but declined to discuss his outlook for improvement, saying such information would be kept confidential.
During his visit, Rodman played basketball with men’s and women’s teams, visited the city zoo, met Olympic athletes and presented the country’s sports minister with a copy of President Donald Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal.” The unsigned book, and a “Where’s Waldo” travel edition, were to be passed on to leader Kim Jong Un, who Rodman had met on previous visits in 2013 band 2014.
