[6] Outside observers generally view North Korea as a totalitarian dictatorship[9][10][11][12] particularly noting the elaborate cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and his family.

Kim Jong Il placed emphasis on the Songun or "military-first" philosophy, and all references to communism were removed from the North Korean constitution in 2009.

Kim Il Sung ruled the country from 1948 until his death in July 1994, holding the offices of General Secretary of the WPK from 1949 to 1994 (titled as chairman from 1949 to 1972), Premier of North Korea from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to 1994.

He was named to his father's old post of general secretary in 1997, and in 1998 became chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC), which gave him command of the armed forces.

"[17] At the same time, the presidential post was written out of the constitution, and Kim Il Sung was designated "Eternal leader of Juche Korea" in order to honor his memory forever.

Following the doctrine of Juche, North Korea aimed for a high degree of economic independence and the mobilization of all the resources of the nation to defend Korean sovereignty against foreign powers.

North Korea's main political issue has been to find a way to sustain its economy without compromising the internal stability of its government or its ability to respond to perceived external threats.

Recently, North Korean efforts to improve relations with South Korea to increase trade and to receive development assistance have been mildly successful.

Combined with external shocks and the less charismatic personality of Kim Jong Il, the transition of the leadership moved North Korea toward less centralized control.

With changing internal situation, combined with external pressure, the cabinet started to endorse policies it had rejected for years.

Kim Jong Il's public activity focused heavily on "on-the-spot guidance" of places and events related to the military.

The enhanced status of the military and military-centered political system was confirmed in 1998 at the first session of the 10th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) by the promotion of NDC members into the official power hierarchy.

[31] Andrei Lankov goes on to say that the "outbreak of public discontent usually happens at the markets when vendors believe that their right to make money is being unfairly infringed by some decision of the authorities".

[31] In June 2011, it was reported that the government had ordered universities to cancel most classes until April 2012, sending students to work on construction projects, presumably for fear of similar developments as in North Africa.

The succession of power was immediate: Kim Jong Un became Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army on 30 December 2011, was appointed first secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) on 11 April 2012, and was entitled first chairman of the National Defense Commission (NDC) two days later.

[30] Up until his death, Kim Jong Il maintained a strong national military-first political system that equated stability with military power.

Kim Jong Un continues to carry on the militarized political style of his father, but with less commitment to complete military rule.

When the Eastern Bloc collapsed in the years 1989–1992, North Korea made efforts to improve its diplomatic relations with developed capitalist countries.