Dennis Rodman, who spent four days in North Korea this week, would not say today whether he had met his self-described "friend for life," the country's supreme leader King Jong-un.

Rodman met reporters in Beijing today following his third trip to North Korea this year, where he coached members of the national basketball team ahead of a planned exhibition match with former NBA players scheduled for Jan. 8.

Rodman admitted he was having a difficult time convincing American athletes to visit the international pariah state, just a week after Kim, 30, ordered the execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek in a bloody purge of his rivals.

Paddy Power, the Irish gambling firm that sponsored Rodman's latest trip and planned to sponsor the Jan. 8 exhibition, has since pulled out of the venture, citing the "changed circumstances" in the country.