US seeks communication channel with north Korea over detained man

The U.S. government said Wednesday it will use its own diplomatic channels for talks with North Korea on the issue of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American man detained in the communist nation. "Our focus remains on reaching out through our own channels to North Korea about our desire to see Kenneth Bae released," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a press briefing. "We will work through our own diplomatic channels to communicate with North Korea."    She was emphasizing that the U.S. government is not pinning hopes on any breakthrough from former NBA star Dennis Rodman's controversial trip to Pyongyang. Psaki drew a clear line between Rodman's self-claimed "basketball diplomacy" and the so-called "ping pong diplomacy" with China. "The difference between now and what we did in China in the 1970s with ping pong diplomacy is that China was a willing partner, and that's not the scenario we have happening here," she said. "So we don't have a sports diplomacy program."    Rodman and several other retired NBA players played a basketball game Wednesday (local time) in front of the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang. It was to celebrate the birthday of Kim, believed to have turned 31. Rodman sang "Happy Birthday" to Kim ahead of the game with North Korean players. Rodman is apparently the only American figure to meet Kim since he took power in 2011. The State Department emphasized he was not representing the U.S. government and it has no plans to contact him. "If he wants to reach out to us, we're happy to hear from him and what he has to say," Psaki said.