The Kim family's cult of personality is arguably one of the most powerful ways they maintain their brutal repression of the North Korean population and have done so for the best part of 75 years.
In the absence of religion, biographies of North Korea's leaders have painted them as having near supernatural or superhuman qualities.
Strict penalties are still in place for anyone who criticises or fails to show an appropriate level of respect for the "eternal leaders", the current Kim's dad Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung.
