Today FM’s Matt Cooper is set to meet North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un on a shock visit to the country.
The Cork broadcaster, 48, is travelling with odd-ball USÂ basketball star Dennis Rodman, who has become a close friend of the despised despot.
The ex-Chicago Bulls player is putting on a birthday basketball match for Kim – with Matt writing a book and presenting a documentary on the game.
Now Matt – who recently interviewed Rodman, 52, on his evening radio show – will become one of the few Irish people and Westerners to ever meet the North Korean leader.
On the way: Flanking Denis Rodman ahead of final flight into North Korea
He is on the way to Pyongyang with 11 retired NBA players ahead of Wednesday’s match, but a Today FM spokeswoman said he was not there for the station.
She added: “Matt has taken annual leave from Today FM and is travelling in an independent capacity on this trip.”
Earlier today Rodman said he “loves” Kim and claimed it wasn’t his role to raise human rights abuses in an interview on Sky News, where he was flanked by Matt.
He said: “That’s not my job. This game is for his birthday. And I hope if this opens doors and we can actually talk about certain things, then we can do certain things.
“But I am not going to sit there and say, ‘Hey guy, you’re doing the wrong thing’. That’s not the right thing to do. He’s my fucking friend, I love him.”
Rodman’s friendship with Kim began last February, on a trip to North Korea with the Harlem Globetrotters.
But it is believed Rodman thought he was going to meet South Korean pop star Psy.
