Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The photographs showed Kim Jong-un and Dennis Rodman cheering as they watched a game

North Korea has released photographs of its leader Kim Jong-un meeting retired US basketball player Dennis Rodman.

Mr Kim, who is known to be a basketball fan, was seen attending a game with Rodman, who is in the country filming a documentary with a US media company.

The game involved the three members of the Harlem Globetrotters, who had joined Rodman on the tour, and members of North Korea's "Dream Team".

Rodman told Mr Kim he had "a friend for life", the Associated Press reports.

Rodman and the Globetrotters arrived in North Korea earlier this week, accompanied by the Vice television company which said they hoped to engage in some "basketball diplomacy".

Vice correspondent Ryan Duffy told AP the crowd at the Pyongyang game was "really engaged, laughed at all of the Globetrotters antics, and actually got super loud toward the end as the score got close".

They were both enjoying the crazy shots, and the Harlem Globetrotters were putting on quite a show Shane Smith, Vice founder

"Most fun I've had in a while," said Mr Duffy, who was one of the players.

The game ended in a 110-110 tie.

Mr Kim was seen wearing his trademark blue Mao suit, while Dennis Rodman - known for his flamboyant appearance and occasional cross-dressing - wore a dark suit and glasses, but with many of his facial piercings in place.

"They bonded during the game,'' Vice's founder, Shane Smith, told AP.

"They were both enjoying the crazy shots, and the Harlem Globetrotters were putting on quite a show.''

In a speech at the gymnasium, Rodman told Mr Kim he had "a friend for life".

Image caption The game ended in a 110-110 tie

The meeting was also reported in North Korea's KCNA state media, which said Mr Kim had "warmly welcomed" Rodman and "let him sit next to him,".

KCNA said the US and North Koreans had exchanged match tactics and techniques.

The players later joined Mr Kim and his wife at a banquet which Mr Duffy described as an "epic feast".

The meeting makes Rodman the most high-profile American to meet Mr Kim since he took over from his father last year. The US said it had no comment to make on the meeting.

The players' visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and North Korea over the test and Pyongyang's launch of a three-stage rocket, a move condemned by the UN as a banned test of missile technology.

Both were seen as a breach of UN resolutions and condemned as a threat to stability in the region.

In response to criticism for visiting the notoriously repressive state, on Tuesday Rodman tweeted: "I'm not a politician. Kim Jung Un & North Korean people are basketball fans. I love everyone. Period. End of story."