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Arkhipova E.V. [Ideological origins of the personality cult in the DPRK: from «Songun» to «Kimilsungism-Kimjongirism» as a system of dynastic justification of power] Political Science and Technology, 2026, Vol. 6, Iss. 1 Available at: https://politicjournal.ru/PDF/02PK126.pdf (in Russian).

Ideological origins of the personality cult in the DPRK: from «Songun» to «Kimilsungism-Kimjongirism» as a system of dynastic justification of power

Arkhipova Elizaveta Vyacheslavovna
State University of Education, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: arkhipovaaa.ev@mail.ru

Academic adviser: Shakurova Natalya Evgenyevna
State University of Education, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: riki252@mail.ru

Abstract. This article analyzes the transformation of the DPRK’s state ideology into an instrument for sacralizing the sole power of the ruling dynasty. It traces its evolution from the initial concept of «Juche» («self-reliance») through the policy of «Songun» («military priority») to the synthetic doctrine of «Kimilsungism-Kimjongirism». The primary focus is on how this doctrine institutionalized the personality cult of the state’s founders and provided ideological justification for the hereditary transfer of power. The aim of the study is to identify the internal logic of this evolution, as a result of which loyalty to the ruling family became equated with the protection of national sovereignty and fidelity to revolutionary ideals. The relevance of this study stems from the need to understand the mechanisms of sustainability in closed political regimes, where ideology and dynastic succession form an inseparable whole. The author emphasizes that the evolution of the DPRK’s state ideology from «Juche» to «Kimilsungism-Kimjongirism» represents a natural process of forming a comprehensive system of dynastic legal coherence. The original idea of national independence (Juche) was consistently reoriented to justify the one-man rule of Kim Il Sung, then, through militarization (Songun), used to consolidate the regime during a period of crisis, and canonized as a doctrine sanctifying power as a divine gift to the ruling family.

Keywords: power; national sovereignty; ideology of the DPRK; dynastic succession; political regime; personality cult of «Songun»

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