I've always leaned towards Christopher Hitchen's take that it's practically a theocratic state (I believe he also referred to it as a "necrocracy"):
Kim Jong-un of the Kim dynasty) is the current Supreme Leader or Suryeong of North Korea.[97] He heads all major governing structures: he is Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.[98][99] His grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder and leader of North Korea until his death in 1994, is the country's "eternal President",[100] while his father Kim Jong-il who succeeded Kim Il-sung as the leader was announced "Eternal General Secretary" and "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission" after his death in 2011