You know it is never going to be an ordinary story of political intrigue when one of the few named sources is a Japanese sushi chef with a penchant for bandana headscarves, technicolour sunglasses and assassination plots. But, then again, that's North Korea.
Chef Kenji Fujimoto has been charging Japanese media this week for insights into the world of Kim Jong-un, the third son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and, according to fresh South Korean intelligence reports, the designated heir in communism's only dynasty.
Mr Fujimoto spent more than 20 years in Pyongyang in the personal service of Kim Jong-il, which put him in close contact with young Kim Jong-un, now 26. The fact that Mr Fujimoto fled Pyongyang in 2001 has not prevented his observations on Kim Jong-un being given wide credence.
'Kim Jong-un knows how to be angry and how to praise. He has the ability to lead people,' Mr Fujimoto told Japanese television. 'He also loves basketball, rollerblading, snowboarding and skiing,' he said, adding that his young friend was also a fan of US basketball legend Michael Jordan.
He described Kim Jong-un as a 'chip off the old block', saying that he not only physically resembles his father but matched his tastes for fine food - shark's fin soup three times a week and plenty of tuna, washed down with cognac. 'If power is to be handed over then Jong-un is the best of it,' he said. 'He has superb physical gifts, is a big drinker and never admits defeat.'
While it may be tempting to dismiss Mr Fujimoto's recollections, there is precious little else to go on when it comes to fleshing out the life of the man at the core of one of East Asia's most important political transitions.