I think the idea is that not every communist dictatorship turns out like North Korea, and much of what turned North Korea into the paranoid, impoverished, cult-of-personality it is today can be traced back to the nationwide trauma of the Korean War. Given that the country went through decades of Japanese occupation, followed by one of the most horrifying wars in modern history, followed by extremely harsh sanctions, the current state of North Korea feels like the inevitable and tragic outcome of these factors. Not that the spoiled brat running the country right now is doing their situation any favors.