Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman, who once called Kim Jong-un ‘an awesome kid’, arrives in North Korea

Former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman arrived in North Korea Tuesday, returning to the isolated country where he has previously met leader Kim Jong-un.

Rodman was mobbed by journalists when he arrived at Beijing’s airport on Tuesday to catch a flight for the North Korean capital.

“I’m just trying to open the door,” Rodman told reporters wearing sunglasses, a dark shirt and baseball cap, and with facial piercings.

“My purpose is to actually to see if I can keep bringing sports to North Korea, so that’s the main thing,” said Rodman, who spoke quietly and was escorted through customs and immigration by two handlers.

Tensions have heightened on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests and its vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, presenting U.S. President Donald Trump with perhaps his most pressing security worry.