EXCLUSIVE
Dennis Rodman's alcohol-fueled meltdown was caused by North Korea ... so claim the people who got the former Hall of Famer into rehab.
Sources connected with Rodman -- the ones who convinced him he needed to check into rehab after his controversial trip -- tell TMZ, from the minute Rodman landed in North Korea he was plied with alcohol.
Rodman claims his bizarre -- arguably unpatriotic comments -- were the result of alcohol abuse and he says the pressure he felt before doing his disastrous interview is why he landed in rehab.
But people close him say ... the mucky-mucks in the North Korean government were more than happy to supply Rodman with endless amounts of alcohol ... to the point his mind was poisoned.
