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‘Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are pretty much the same,’ claims Dennis Rodman during visit to Beijing

As tensions grow between Pyongyang and Washington, Rodman, 56, has styled himself as an international peacemaker ready to help strike a deal

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman in 2013. Photo: Reuters

Former basketball star Dennis Rodman is perhaps the only person in the world to call both US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “friend”.

The ex-Chicago Bulls power forward – who has swigged vodka with Kim and been fired by Trump on Celebrity Apprentice – believes the two unpredictable leaders “are pretty much the same people”.

“They love control,” Rodman said in Beijing, adding that warnings of nuclear peril are harmless “entertainment”. “Ain’t nobody got no finger on the button.”

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with Dennis Rodman in 2014. Photo: Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with Dennis Rodman in 2014. Photo: Reuters

As tensions grow between Pyongyang and Washington, Rodman, 56, has styled himself as an international peacemaker ready to help strike a deal. He arrived in China on Monday following stops in Tokyo and US territory Guam.

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He hoped to arrange a trip to Pyongyang, which he has visited five times, but was stymied by a US ban against American citizens travelling to the country.

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