I’m intrigued by the China angle mentioned at the end of the post. I don’t know the timeline in detail, but I wonder where the assassination fits-in with the announcement-- I heard about it first time on NPR Feb 20-- that China announced a halt to coal imports from North Korea for at least a year. I don’t have the figures at hand, but I gather from the report that the coal income accounts for a pretty big share of foreign currency in the already cash-strapped kingdom. If the Chinese had been protecting the half-brother as a means of preserving a potential alternative should lil’ Un’s gov’t collapse-- and Chinese coal sanctions could certainly likely heighten that risk-- it makes a certain sense that lil 'Un might increase the price to China of any such failure.
