Family of U.S. Missionary Kenneth Bae Accepts Dennis Rodman's Apology

By Joshua Cheng
Dennis Rodman North Korea
Dennis Rodman tips his hat as U.S. and North Korean basketball players applaud at the end of an exhibition basketball game at an indoor stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on Jan. 8, 2014. AP Photo

The sister of Kenneth Bae, the U.S. missionary jailed in North Korea, said on Thursday that her family accepted Dennis Rodman's apology for his remarks about her brother, the Reuters news agency reports.

Rodman, who is visiting North Korea with fellow U.S. basketball players, had a meltdown Tuesday during an interview with CNN, where he suggested that Bae was himself to blame for getting imprisoned in North Korea. He later apologized.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Rodman apologized to Bae's family for his comments: "It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates," he explained. "My dreams of basketball diplomacy were quickly falling apart. I had been drinking," and felt "overwhelmed" by the time of the interview, said Rodman.

Bae's sister, Terri Chung, said in a statement released to Reuters that the family's greatest concern remained the health and freedom of her brother.

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