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This article examines the recent power transition in North Korea in the broader historical context of the regime's political inheritance, both from the communist world and from the pre-1945 era. The essay focuses on two areas of study in particular: the role of traditions and historical legacies in the formation of the party-state system of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and their impact on political continuities within the DPRK itself. It analyzes the sustainability of the North Korean regime within the framework of its dynastic power structure, and discusses the internal reasons for the DPRK's continuity by evaluating the relation between the party-state and society. The regime's political system and ideology are assessed from the viewpoint of their rootedness in both Korean and international history, especially theoretical and practical modifications of communist ideology, Confucianism, Korea's colonial past, and nationalism. The article further analyzes the swift transfer of power from Kim Jong Il to his son Kim Jong Un in relation to the continuity of hereditary power and the reinforcement of juche nationalist ideology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]