( CNN ) -- Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman and three members of the famed Harlem Globetrotters arrived in North Korea Tuesday to `` entertain and inspire '' with their basketball skills while they film a TV show . `` I come in peace . I love the people of North Korea ! '' Rodman , 51 , said on Twitter Tuesday . The weeklong visit comes at a time of heightened tension between the United States and North Korea , a result of Pyongyang 's pursuit of a nuclear program . Just days ago , North Korea threatened `` miserable destruction '' in response to routine military exercises planned between South Korea and the United States . North Korea provoked Western condemnation earlier this month with an underground nuclear test that was preceded by the launch of a long-range missile capable of transporting a warhead in December . Could Rodman 's visit , which a statement from the Harlem Globetrotters calls `` ambassadorial , '' help cool down this international hot spot ? Rodman tweeted that he was `` looking forward to sitting down with Kim Jung Un , '' known to have been a huge basketball fan when he was a teenage student in Switzerland . `` The whole world for him was just basketball all the time , '' a former classmate of North Korea 's supreme leader told CNN after he assumed power after the death of his father , Kim Jong Il , in late 2011 . He is believed to be about 29 years old . Rodman , whose nickname is `` Worm , '' said he was `` honored to represent The United States of America . '' `` I 'm not a politician . Kim Jung Un & North Korean people are basketball fans . I love everyone . Period . End of story , '' he tweeted . His knowledge of geography and geopolitics may be a little off , though , judging from one message . `` Maybe I 'll run into the Gangnam Style dude while I 'm here , '' he said . Psy , the artist who made the smash hit song and video , is from South Korea . `` Our aim is to entertain and inspire children everywhere , '' Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider said . `` Every child deserves that opportunity . '' It was unclear whether Rodman , who is accompanied by Globetrotters Bull Bullard , Buckets Blakes and Moose Weekes , will be taken to North Korea 's countryside , where aid groups say malnutrition is rampant . According to Human Rights Watch , hundreds of thousands of people remain enslaved in prison camps , which are `` notorious for horrific living conditions and abuse . '' The trip was arranged by the producers of an HBO show that premieres in April , the team said . The documentary series is hosted by Vice magazine founder Shane Smith and executive produced by HBO commentator Bill Maher . When Rodman finishes his North Korean mission , he 'll travel to New York to work with a reality TV supreme leader , Donald Trump , for a season of `` All-Star Celebrity Apprentice . ''
The United States and North Korea are at odds over North Korea 's nuclear ambitions . Former NBA star Dennis Rodman tweets that he is going to meet with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. The North Korean leader is known to be a huge basketball fan . The trip was arranged by the producers of the HBO show `` Vice ''