Dennis Rodman North Korea: Did Obama Call Kim Jong-un? Korean War Ceasefire Canceled

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman recently returned from his much-publicized visit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. While Rodman claims he made inroads with the young leader, the White House and other sources suggest the visit may have actually hindered relations with the Asian nation.

Rodman called Kim his "friend" in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week."

"I love him! The guy is awesome," Rodman said.

He and Kim together enjoyed a formal dinner and exhibition by a number of Harlem Globetrotters during his visit.

The basketball star joins the long list of celebrities including Charles Lindbergh, Beyoncé, Nelly Furtado and Danny Glover, as well as actor Sean Penn that have visited with or entertained world dictators.

Kim asked Rodman to tell President Barack Obama to call him, and that he wanted to discuss future relations between the two nations. In response, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that scenario was not going to happen anytime soon: "The United States has direct channels of communication with [North Korea]," Carney said, stating those would be the only channels the White House would continue to use. The White House also noted that the North Korean leadership should be spending money on their citizens' well-being instead of visiting with celebrities.

Experts say Kim is trying to portray himself as a genial personality, but instead may be confirming some North Koreans' opinion of him as a "lightweight" in comparison to his iron-fisted late father, Kim Jong-Il. If the latter is true, it may be cause for other military leaders in the country to attempt to take power from Kim.

Shortly after the basketball star's return to the states, word from South Korea hints that Kim's jocularity with Rodman in regards to the North's future relationship with America may actually be in jeopardy. North Korea's armed forces, upset with a new Chinese and American-approved set of stricter United Nations sanctions, have said they plan to discard the armistice between the two Koreas, which ended the Korean War in the early 1950s, as early as next week. Leaders of Pyongyang's Korean People's Army Supreme Command said they would cancel the ceasefire on March 11, identifying the sanctions and recent military drills by American and South Korean forces as signs of aggression.

There is no specific response yet from Washington on the validity or danger of these threats.