Outside observers of North Korea have pondered for decades the exact roots of North Korea’s unique ideology of Juche. An ideology centered upon the concepts of the divinity of the Kim family and their mystical roots, as well as the racial purity and historic mission of the North Korean people, has drawn various comparisons. Some refer to North Korea as the last “Stalinist state,” seeking to intertwine Marxist ideology with a particularly harsh form of totalitarian government. Others look to Maoism and the chauvinistic personality cult which it promoted. Yet nothing seems to be an exact fit.

The dynastic aspects