In one of the most bizarre moments in North Korean history − not a minor feat − former NBA star and bad boy Dennis Rodman recently made a strong case for being the closest thing that the United States of America has to an ambassador to North Korea. The mercurial Rodman and his Harlem Globetrotter teammates are the only known Americans to have met North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Rodman was likely admitted due to Kim’s love of basketball, particularly the 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty, although one could argue that the two bonded over their common animosity towards Western media. The two men were documented laughing together courtside , and Rodman told Kim, “You have a friend for life.” In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Rodman said he does not condone the oppression of the North Korean people but called Kim a “good guy” and claims that he is different than his father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il. These are favorable words for a leader whose nation has imprisoned 200,000 of its people in prison camps, along with the chronic malnutrition of nearly a fourth of its people. Of course, the unstable Rodman’s gatherings must be taken with a grain of salt. Are things changing in the world’s most censored nation in under its new leadership? The portly Pillsbury Doughboy-in-chief Kim Jong-un is known to be a US basketball fan, and the international community hoped that his more boisterous demeanor may signal an eventual easing of the authoritarian regime in North Korea and subsequently better relations with the United States. However, after testing rockets in mid-February, the North Koreans recently claimed that the US is within range of its nuclear weapons. Additionally, they blame the US for exacerbating the hostile situation with South Korea. Despite its new style, the current leadership philosophy in North Korea appears consistent with its predecessor. But beneath the surface the population is beginning to change despite the consistency of the ruling dynasty.
Much like the situation in China, some North Koreans are experiencing increased information flows from outside of those censored by the government. This has provided some cultural and informational perspective outside of the North Korean propaganda. Conspicuous consumption is gaining traction, and through the black market, a wealthy class has emerged in the capital city of Pyongyang. North Koreans now have 2 million computers and 1.5 million mobile phones. Enterprising Koreans are bribing border officials to allow passage into China to conduct business and smuggle goods in and out. They have returned with South Korean and American television shows on flash drives, providing an alternative to the government controlled media.
While watching the game with Kim, Rodman did the unthinkable: he drank a Coca-Cola. An inconsequential gesture elsewhere in the world is monumental in North Korea, since North Korea and Cuba are the only two nations in the world where Coca-Cola is banned. And yet there was Dennis Rodman, enjoying it on North Korea’s brightest stage.
According to Tom Standage, author of “The History of the World in Six Glasses,” Coca-Cola is the most tangible symbol of American imperialism. One can only speculate how Rodman acquired it, but it was most likely smuggled through the outlets that provided the American and South Korean TV shows. The tolerance of the Coke, Rodman, and the Harlem Globetrotters illustrates that deep rumblings of cultural change may have started to occur in North Korea. Time will tell if Rodman’s prophetic statement about North Korea’s new leadership is correct.