Cancer, not a heart attack, killed Kim? And how one man miraculously survived a 'smashed' head(line)...

Yuriko Koike, a former hawkish conservative Japanese female politician -- she was once the country's (albeit for just under two months) Defence Minister and National Security Adviser -- is now a commentary writer.

Her views do tend to be rightwing, but she seems to have good sources. Her latest opinion piece, "North Korea's real leader?" is worth a read (TODAY, 28 Dec, page 8):

http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC111228-0000018/North-Koreas-real-leader?

She thinks Kim Jong Il's son, Jong Un, the annointed successor, is unlikely to hold on to the leadership helm, and cites two historical analogies -- one Japanese (Shogun era) and one Chinese (Qing era) -- of a regent usurping power from the annointed one. Without citing her sources, she made a further intriguing "revelation" about KJI's demise:

Both of these [historical] examples of government by regency may shed light on the succession struggle now underway in Pyongyang. At 28 (or 29, as Koreans count age), Mr Kim Jong Un is a pudgy young man with no combat experience whatsoever. So there are substantial doubts as to whether the ageing commanders of North Korea's army, many of whom fought in the Korean War six decades ago, can swear loyalty to a callow, paper general.

This helps to explain why North Korean propaganda covered up the true cause of Kim Jong Il's death -- cancer, not a heart attack. Indeed, he had become so ill recently that he could not make decisions by himself near the end, so his only full-blood relative, his sister Kim Kyong Hui, made decisions on his behalf. In other words, even before Kim Jong Il's death, a dual structure of supreme power had begun to take hold in Pyongyang.
------------------------------------

Meanwhile, TODAY could not resist a dig at a new North Korean beer, "Pride of Pyongyang". The story below, which features a video clip of the brand's commercial ad, is headlined:

Kim Jong Ale

http://blogs.todayonline.com/videosoftheday/2011/12/28/kim-jong-ale/

------------------------------------

ST (28 Dec) also has a cheeky AFP snippet to break the monotony of its coverage of the run-up to KJI's funeral ceremony, being held today:

'Bird's grief moves many'

North Korea yesterday (27 Dec) reported more grieving by Mother Nature over the death of Mr Kim Jong Il, with a dove-like bird reportedly brushing the snow off a statue of the late leader.

The latest avian intervention was reported by Radio Pyongyang, which said the bird's behaviour last week was "breaking the hearts of many people" who heard the story.

Ruling party newspapr Rodong Sinmun said on Monday that owls had been grieving since Mr Kim's death.

"Owls flew in through the windows of the condolence venue and added to the commemorating feelings of the grieving people," it said.

-------------------------------------------------

Last item... The New Paper inserted this blurb in ST (28 Dec):

How gross and gruesome, I thought, imagining splattered and bloodied grey matter all over the taxi cabin. A murder case, for sure. But we were misled by the knave who wrote the blurb. Here's what really happened:
     
http://www.tnp.sg/content/cabby-assaulted-wine-bottle