PETALING JAYA: The assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia is not widely publicised on the official news sites of China, the most important ally of North Korea.
In fact, the shocking news was nowhere to be found on the homepage of China Central Television and Chinese national news agencies Xinhua and China News Service.
On Global Times, the unusual death of the oldest son of North Korea’s late leader was filed under military news. The story was a compilation of reports from news outlets, including The Star and BBC.
It was widely reported in 2010 that China had issued a stern warning to those with the intention to assassinate Jong-nam not to touch him on Chinese soil.
China could be taking care of Jong-nam for “its own aims”, as suggested in a story carried by The Telegraph in 2012.
In interviews for a book titled My Father, Kim Jong-il, and I: Kim Jong-nam’s Exclusive Confession, Jong-nam confided in journalist and author Yoji Gomi that he always had a group of people showing up around him in times of danger.
