Rodman to Kim: 'Do me a solid'

NBA great-turned-unofficial diplomat Dennis Rodman asked North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Tuesday to release an imprisoned American citizen.

Advertisement I’m calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea or as I call him “Kim”, to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose. — Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) May 7, 2013

Bae, a devout Christian who worked as a tour operator near the Chinese-North Korea border, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor earlier this month, accused by the North Korean government of fomenting a revolution. The 44-year-old Bae was born in South Korea and is a naturalized American citizen.

( PHOTOS:Dennis Rodman, Kim Jong Un in North Korea)

Six Americans have been held by North Korea since 2009, according to The Associated Press. The others were eventually deported or released. That year, a visit by former President Bill Clinton led to the release of two American journalists who had been sentenced to hard labor. But North Korean state media have said Bae won’t be used as a “bargaining chip.”

Rodman’s infamous March trip to North Korea, where he watched basketball with Kim, was widely condemned by American officials. The former Chicago Bulls forward said last month he plans to return to the hermetic country in August.