North Korean state media have declared basketball to be a critical part of the reclusive state’s ideology and called on workers, soldiers and to turn the nation into a global powerhouse in the game

By coincidence, basketball is Kim Jong-un’s favourite sport.

North Korea’s national sport is “ssirum”, a traditional form of wrestling, while Koreans in both the North and South consider the martial art taekwondo to be an important part of their sporting culture.

Mr Kim, however, developed an interest in basketball during his formative years at an elite private school in Switzerland and he has developed an unlikely friendship with Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star, since coming to power after the death of his father in 2011.

Mr Rodman has so far paid five visits to Pyongyang and in January 2014 serenaded the dictator with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” from the basketball court during a match.