Rodman begins sightseeing:

Dennis Rodman, the former NBA bad boy who has palled around with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, began sightseeing in Pyongyang on Wednesday during a trip he said he hoped would “open a door” for his former “Celebrity Apprentice” boss — President Donald Trump.

Hours after his arrival the previous day, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that North Korea had released an American student serving a 15-year prison term with hard labor for alleged anti-state acts. A plane carrying Otto Warmbier arrived late Tuesday at an airport in Cincinnati. His parents say he has been in a coma and was medically evacuated.

Tillerson said the State Department secured his release at Trump’s direction, and a spokeswoman was firm in saying Rodman’s trip had nothing to do with Warmbier’s release.

Rodman, one of the few people to know both of the nuclear-armed leaders, sported dark sunglasses and athletic wear as he left his hotel in a black limo Wednesday morning without comment. He is scheduled to meet North Korea’s sports minister before he leaves the country on Saturday.

He was met by North Korean ViceMinister of Sports Son Kwang Ho at the airport, saying then, “I’m just here to see some friends and have a good time.”

It was a relatively low-ley arrival after his four past trips since 2013 generated a lot of publicity — most of it unfavorable — and did little in terms of diplomacy. His current visit has already been roundly criticized by some for its timing, during high tensions between the US and North Korea over its weapons programs and recent missile launches. (AP)

Rodman