For decades, Kim Il Sung, who was known as "Great Leader," groomed his son for the presidency, and remarked to others that the young Kim would carry out his father's political programs exactly as he wished. Kim Jong Il is said to have impressed his father by proposing that North Korea carry out a cultural revolution modeled on that of China. Kim was officially designated heir to Kim Il Sung in 1974 and put in charge of party operations against South Korea. By 1980, he had become a member of the Central Committee, and his portrait hung beside his father's in the country's schools, homes and hospitals. In 1991, he was named leader of the party and supreme commander of North Korea's armed forces.
The Communist Party, also called the Korean Workers' Party, to which all government officials belong, is the ruling party of North Korea. Less than 15 percent of the people belong to the party. Even so, the party makes the country's laws, chooses all candidates for elections, and approves all people appointed to public office. Officially, North Korea has a number of other political parties. However, these parties may not oppose the policies of the Workers' Party. North Korea's governmental machinery continues to function, even through a number of international incidents. Minor political parties exist, but not in opposition to KWP-rule. The Prime Minister is the head of government, but real power lies with , the head of the Workers' Party and the military. Kim holds a string of official titles, the most important being of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defense Commission, and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. Within the country he is commonly known by the affectionate title of "Dear Leader", in contrast to Kim Il Sung, who is the "Great Leader".
However, North Korea is widely held to be a country. One major aspect of totalitarian countries is the presence of a single party which mirrors the structure of the State, and the fact that the power lies not in the State, but in the party. Thus, in Socialist countries, it is the Chairman of the Communist Party and not the Head of State who is the repository of power.
During Kim Jong Il's rule, the country's economy has declined significantly, and food shortages have developed in many areas. According to aid groups, a significant but unknown number of people in rural areas have starved to death due to famine, just like people did during Stalin’s reign in the USSR. However in North Korea starvation has gone as far as turning people to cannibalism. North Korea declared on , that it has . Although there is no evidence that North Korea has actually tested a weapon, this announcement brought forth widespread expressions of dismay and near-universal calls for the North to return to the six-party negotiations aimed at curbing its nuclear program. Analysts have linked Kim to acts of state-sponsored terrorism, especially toward South Korea. In 1983, a bomb killed 17 members of a South Korean delegation in Burma. In November 1987, North Korean agents placed a bomb on a Korean Airlines plane, killing all 115 on board.
Modern Dictators are very similar to past dictators. And so just like in past dictatorships there is obviously instability in the North Korean government, and there are speculations about a power struggle at the top. Kim Jong, like Benito Mussolini supports only one party, that only being the Korean Workers' Party. Also North Korea is thought to be on the verge of starvation due to devastating floods and longtime economic mismanagement.
