Dennis Rodman’s trip to North Korea is being sponsored by Potcoin, a cryptocurrency for the legal marijuana industry.
“I’m really looking forward to spending time with the wonderful people of North Korea and of course, visiting with the Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un,” Rodman said in a statement on Potcoin’s website.
“I want to thank the folks at PotCoin,” Rodman said, “They realized the importance of this trip and made it all possible for me.”
The statement further claims that Rodman is in the “very rare” position to be both friends with Kim Jong-Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, and President Donald Trump.
Rodman was a two-time cast member on the Celebrity Apprentice in 2008 and 2013, which Trump hosted. He has visited North Korea four times, including a 2014 trip where he was shadowed by a crew from Vice.
A State Department spokesman told the Associated Press they were aware of Rodman's visit, but that he was not in North Korea in any "official capacity."
In a video posted on Potcoin's website, Rodman - wearing a Potcoin T-shirt - said he wants to "open a door with North Korea," and his trip is "all about peace."
Potcoin is a digital cryptocurrency - much like bitcoin - that was specifically developed to remove the need for cash transactions between marijuana consumers and dispensaries.
Marijuana is illegal under federal law, so the majority of banks won't take cash or open lines of credit for marijuana businesses.
If Potcoin was going for publicity, it certainly paid off: Potcoin's value soared over 84% to over 17 US cents on Tuesday.
North Korea released an American detainee, Otto Warmbier, back to his family on Tuesday. Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, is reportedly in a coma after North Korean officials say he contracted botulism while in detention.
Here's Rodman's video announcing his visit:
