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Little is known about the men who have led North Korea. But one person with great insights into Kim Jong Il and his successor Kim Jong Un is a Japanese sushi chef. He provided Kim Jong Il both sushi and loyalty for many years. Renee Montagne talks to novelist Adam Johnson about his encounter with the chef, which he writes about in the latest issue of GQ magazine.

As the first anniversary of Kim's death approaches, North Korea's official news agency has produced a somber tribute to his favorite parka.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex is a joint North Korea and South Korea experiment. Every day hundreds of workers from South Korea go to work in North Korea, and thousands of workers from North Korea go to jobs in South Korean factories at the complex. The atmosphere was heavy after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died.

The state news agency reports that a thunderous noise shook an iced-over lake, marking the death of Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Un is playing a prominent role in his father's funeral and is already the object of fulsome praise from North Korea's official media.

North Korean state media are praising Kim Jong Il's chosen heir and bestowing him with titles — signs that party leaders in the communist state are standing behind the plan for him to succeed his father.

In North Korea, streams of mourners are paying their last respects to the country's longtime leader who died over the weekend. In the three days since Kim Jong Il's death, little has emerged about what's next in North Korea other than a state funeral has been set for next week.

Reliable details about North Korea's nuclear weapons are hard to come by, but the country is believed to have between four and 10 nuclear bombs. The country's political transition adds to the uncertainty surrounding the nuclear program.

Kim Jong Un appears likely to inherit power from his father. But it's not clear whether he will be able to maintain tight control over most aspects of North Korean life, as his father and grandfather did.

Kim Jong Il's son, the heir apparent, has little experience or preparation to lead. Analysts say that means he won't be in a position to get back to nuclear disarmament talks and make concessions. He also may be tempted to take provocative actions to establish his leadership credentials.