Rodman back in North Korea, won't bring home jailed American

Ex-Chicago Bull and NBA star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea today for a five-day visit, his second this year, but said he had no plans to negotiate the release of a jailed American missionary. There had been speculation that Rodman, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in March, would secure the release of Kenneth Bae, who was jailed for 15 years for trying to overthrow the North Korean government. "I'm not going to North Korea to discuss freeing Kenneth Bae," Rodman told Reuters in a telephone interview before he left Beijing for Pyongyang. "I'm just going there on another basketball diplomacy tour." Kim, the third of his line to rule North Korea, is a basketball fan and appeared to get on well with Rodman on the earlier visit, with the two of them pictured laughing, eating and drinking together and watching an all-star basketball match. Rodman's latest trip is being sponsored by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power. His arrival was announced on North Korean news agency KCNA, which did not provide any further details of the trip. Wearing his trademark dark sunglasses, the 6-foot 7-inch Rodman pushed through a throng of journalists at Beijing's international airport, a common waystation for travelers to North Korea. "I'm just trying to go over there to meet my friend Kim, the Marshal," Rodman said. "Try to start a basketball league over there, something like that."