Wedged awkwardly between China, Russia, and Japan, the Korean Peninsula has long been a bloody battleground for greater powers. Korean rulers only managed to survive by playing one foreign power off against the other, and by offering subservience, mainly to Chinese emperors, in exchange for protection.
但金氏崇拜的权力，以及弥漫于朝鲜政权中的偏执狂，其政治历史根源可以远远追溯到1945年之前。朝鲜半岛就像是钉在中国、俄国和日本之间的一枚楔子，长期以来一直是大国的流血战场。朝鲜统治者需要游走在各个外国势力之间小心生存，还需寻找宗祖国（主要是中国历朝）以寻求保护。这一历史根源导致朝鲜狂热地害怕和厌恶依靠强国。