Basketball “More Than a Game” to Kim Jong Un?

As tensions rose between the U.S. and North Korea following a nucl`ear test conducted by the latter, North Korea extended a bewildering invitation to former NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman. The ensuing delegation of basketball players, with Rodman at the helm, to the small country in Northeast Asia has drawn the attention of many outside the world of sports. Even more surprising is that North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, rubbed elbows with Rodman while watching a competition between two teams comprised of an amalgam of North Korean and U.S. players, laughing and joking all the while. Although the event was closed to foreign journalists, foreign envoys and representatives of international organizations were invited to watch as Kim Jong Un’s unfettered personality was out on full display, causing no shortage of speculation: Is North Korea engaging in “basketball diplomacy?”

At present, the U.N. Security Council is still discussing how to impose sanctions in response to North Korea’s recent third nuclear test, done in violation of a U.N. resolution. The U.S. and Japan insist on increasing sanctions, while China and Russia strongly support a cautious approach. No consensus has been reached thus far. At such a time, North Korea’s unexpected attempt to show that it not only has a tough side, but also an open and flexible one as well, may be a bid to shake things up in the Security Council’s deliberations.

As a leader, Kim Jong Un is indeed different from his father and grandfather. Dealings between North Korea and the U.S. began in the 1970s, breaking the ice on previously frozen relations. At that time, assistant editors of The New York Times and The Washington Post accepted an invitation to visit North Korea, where they were received by Kim Jong Il. That was a step taken under the larger umbrella of thawing U.S.-China relations, and the reception by Kim Jong Il was formally arranged as a demonstration of the leader’s dignity and prestige. That visit painted a different picture entirely from the recent eased and relaxed atmosphere of Kim Jong Un watching a basketball game. For a time following the visit by the two editors, the U.S. and North Korea had virtually no non-official interactions.

However, in the 1990s the two countries once more started up these low-level connections, and such dealings have somewhat increased since entering the 21st century. Important figures such as former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, as well as former Governor Bill Richardson, have all visited North Korea out of office, using unofficial channels to facilitate communications and resolve sudden crises between the U.S. and North Korea. Non-official exchanges through sports, culture, etc. have also occurred sporadically, such as with a North Korean Taekwondo team’s visits to the U.S. in 2007 and 2011. In early 2008, the New York Philharmonic traveled to Pyongyang to perform. Despite the fact they only stayed for 48 hours and held a single performance, the trip caused quite a stir and drew the attention of people across the globe. However, Kim Jong Il, then still supreme leader of North Korea, did not attend the concert. This time is different.

A Tough Comparison With “Pingpong Diplomacy”

Kim Jong Un’s game day calls to mind the opening ceremony of the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground in May of last year. On that day, the leader not only presided over the occasion, but even rode a roller coaster with various diplomats in attendance; China’s ambassador was seated in the same car with him, with a diplomat from the U.K. riding just behind. It is said that Kim Jong Un is a huge basketball fan, a fan of the Chicago Bulls in particular. For this most recent event, he brought his wife Ri Sol Ju to enjoy the game with him and later even took Rodman along with him back to his luxurious abode, where he wined and dined the former NBA star. A picture of Kim embracing Rodman has also surfaced on the Internet. Although the gesture was partly an expression of Kim’s personality, it was also carefully orchestrated.

Contact between the U.S. and North Korea is made through multiple channels. Aside from the previous shaky six-party talks, representatives from both countries have met at the U.N. headquarters in New York and occasionally have surpassed expectations and reached agreement on several issues. These are the official channels. In contrast, sports and cultural exchange, such as having an NBA team visit North Korea, exclusively belongs in the realm of the non-official. The New York Philharmonic’s trip to North Korea in 2008 ended with fairly positive results, and the effect that the basketball team’s visit to North Korea has had this time is even more obvious. Rodman said that he and Kim Jong Un hit it off and that he was the leader’s first American friend, further inviting Kim to visit the U.S.

Of course, both sides emphasized the non-official nature of the trip, as the U.S. Department of State issued remarks that the government was not involved, that Rodman “does not represent the United States” and that the U.S. policy towards North Korea is still for North Korea to cease its nuclear and ballistic missile tests and return to the international community.

As to whether or not these events constitute “basketball diplomacy,” I believe that they cannot be compared to the “pingpong diplomacy” of the past, as circumstances are not the same. Still, the role that unofficial visits play in serving as another means to facilitate relations between countries, one that can at times be crucial, is not something that should be overlooked.

The author is a former Chinese senior diplomat and ambassador.