Dennis Rodman apologizes for being unable to help Bae in North Korea

Dennis Rodman said Monday that he was sorry he could do nothing for American prisoner Kenneth Bae during his controversial visit to North Korea last week.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything,” Rodman told reporters at Beijing airport Monday after his weeklong trip. “It’s not my fault. I’m sorry. I just want to do some good stuff, that’s all I want to do.”

The flamboyant basketball Hall of Famer was making his fourth visit to North Korea in the last year. This time he brought along a group of retired NBA players for an exhibition game with the North Korean team on the birthday of dictator Kim Jong Un, whom Rodman considers a good friend.

Video has circulated of Rodman singing “Happy Birthday” to Kim in front of the crowd before the event.

Some people have criticized Rodman for not attempting to use his influence on the leader to help free Bae, who has been detained for more than a year and is in poor health. Rodman lashed out with a sometimes incoherent rant from North Korea on CNN last week, implying Bae might be the one at fault.

He later apologized for his comments, saying he had been drinking and was under a lot of stress at the time.

Rodman said Monday that the sole purpose of the trip was to spread goodwill.

“I’m not the president. I’m not an ambassador,” said Rodman, who is planning a return trip next month, the Associated Press reported. “I’m Dennis Rodman, an individual that’s showing the world that we can actually get along and be happy for one day.”

Rodman started another sentence, “I’d love to see ...” but trailed off while appearing to break down in tears.