"Never knock on Death's door: ring the bell and run away! Death really hates that!" - Matt Frewer

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This is damn sad:

Asian Youth Games: North Korean football team serious in training

"The Korean boys were the first athletes to arrive here for the Games when they touched down at Changi Airport on Wednesday night... On Thursday morning, they were nowhere to be seen at the Swissotel the Stamford, the official Games Village, or at the adjacent Raffles City shopping mall."
That's because they can't be allowed to wander, in case they defect. Not that Singapore would have any qualms about rejecting their asylum claims and sending them back to North Korea to be executed.

"While the hotel came to life with the arrival of footballers from various other countries, only one person from the North Korean camp was spotted in the lobby: Team manager Cho Won Cho."
Okay, I guess he's not their minder then

"Their coach, who later gave his name as Park Er Song, put the boys through their paces under the watchful eye of an Aetos auxiliary police officer."
Maybe the Aetos auxiliary police officer is the one in Kim Jong Il's employ. It all makes sense now!

"We won't likely see much smiling from them when they take to the pitch against Thailand tomorrow, not until the final whistle at least."
That's because when the match ends they'll know if they'll be executed. If they win, they get a reprieve. If they lose, they can make their final arrangements. Either way, the nerve-wracking wait will be over.


At least the headline is "North Korean football team serious in training" rather than "North Korean footballers serious in training".