Is This Really WHy The MoranBong Band Left Beijing?

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Fans the world over were disappointed by the cancellation of a performance by Kim Jong Un's Moranbong Band in Beijing last week. Reuters is now reporting that a source "with ties to North Korea and China" says that "Chinese authorities objected to 'anti-American' lyrics in the show." The report continues: 

The Moranbong Band was visiting China along with North Korea's State Merited Chorus and was due to perform at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts on Dec. 12.

Chinese censors did not approve of a line which referred to the United States an "ambitious wolf", and lyrics which glorified the 1950-53 Korean War, according to the source.

"China did not ask that the lyrics be changed but it did not pass screening by censors," said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject.
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"China was of the view that the lyrics would unnecessarily provoke the U.S.".

I won't get into the other theories going around as to why the show was cancelled - see this - but in light of the Reuters source's comments about the lyrics, which at first appearance sounds less likely than the other theories, I just want to remark that this is interesting in the face of two recent events: a July 2012 gala show in Pyongyang that featured appearances by Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Winnie the Pooh along with performances of "It's A Small World", the "Rocky" theme and Frank Sinatra's "My Way." 

Second is this October performance by the Chongbong Band - another Kim Jong Un creation that came about this summer - playing the American classics "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races." If these two performances are meant to be a signal from Kim III that a cultural loosening up is on the horizon, someone must have had a nice facepalm when the Chinese censor stopped the rehearsal and said the anti-American lyrics were a no go.