observers with his carefully honed cult of personality, his elevator shoes. his shades and his army suit. and his penchant for savoring a 700 year old bottle of cognac and james bond. still, officials who met him said he was informed, in charge and serious. >> they know that if they were to attack us they would be obliterated. they're not crazy. >> reporter: now, rattling nerves on an already tense peninsula. the pentagon confirmed that the north koreans test-fired two short-range missiles. although they don't believe that there was anything that was coincidental about it, not deliberately timed with this death. people who are concerned about this million-strong army will probably see it on display during the state funeral that jong-un, the new leader, will preside over next week. as we said, north korea is a mystery nation. this iconic picture.