Did Dennis Rodman Help Bae's Release from N. Korean Prison?

An American citizen held captive in North Korea for two years says former basketball star Dennis Rodman helped in his release -- in spite of the ex-NBA player defending the oppressive Communist government.

Bae appears on The 700 Club, Wednesday, May 4, to talk about his experiences in prison, how his faith helped him endure, and his book about it all.

Two years ago, Rodman visited his friend North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Rodman then went on a rant, implying that Kenneth Bae may have deserved his sentence of 15 years of hard labor.

"If you understand what Kenneth Bae did," Rodman yelled on CNN. "Do you understand what he did in this country? Why is he held captive in this country?"

But Bae said Rodman played an important part in his release in November 2014. 

"I want to thank Dennis Rodman for being a catalyst for my release," Bae told CNN's New Day this week. "Because of his rant, the media attention on my plight was increased. So if I meet him someday, I will just want to say thank you for what he has done that really brought international attention to my plight."

"Altogether it worked out for good for my release. I'm grateful," Bae continued. 

Rodman later apologized for the rant, saying he was stressed out and had been drinking.

"He did apologize to our family afterwards… a sincere apology," Bae said.

Bae spent 735 days in North Korea, making him the longest-held American citizen detained there since the Korean War. He was imprisoned for committing unspecified "hostile acts" in the country.

The missionary is a devout Christian, which led some to wonder if he carried Christian material into the country. North Korea is officially an atheist state.

According to CNN, the country accused Bae of being part of a Christian plot to take down the regime.

Bae has written a book, Not Forgotten, about his time in a North Korean prison. HarperCollins' Christian-themed division released the memoir Tuesday.

"One thing I want people to take away from reading the book is God's faithfulness," Bae said. "After I was released, I was reminded that God has not forgotten the people of North Korea."

Currently, there are two Americans imprisoned in North Korea.

On Friday, North Korea sentenced a South Korean-born American citizen to 10 years of hard labor for subversion and espionage, a North Korean official reported to CNN.

Last month, North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced Otto Frederick Warmbier to 15 years in prison for "hostile acts" against the government.

He was arrested in early January, accused of trying to steal a propaganda banner from the Pyongyang hotel where he was staying.