So do you view the personality cult of divine Kim family as an attempt to address the problem to some extent?
Sure. Look at the iconography between Hitler, Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Ho, Kims, etc. Note also how hard it has been to maintain that pitch as the communist state matures and continues to fail to deliver on its promises. The idolatry ends, as it did with Khrushchev and our latter day ChiComs. With it dies the illusion and the political class devolves to common politico-thuggocracy and the society sinks into either depression or dog-eat-dog.
What the Norks have done that is so unusual is to impoverish and isolate the people to such a degree as to virtually shut off their ability to acquire input from the outside world (terrain helps there). That minimizes the influence of foreign media blowing their cover, allowing the Kims to keep the game going far longer than they might have done. I am certain they are very tough on anyone who has been outside their national prison to keep their mouths shut. I'd hate to have been on their Olympic team.