 The choice of Kim Jong @-@ il as Kim Il @-@ sung 's successor met with considerable criticism . Critics accused Kim Il @-@ sung of creating a dynasty , turning North Korea into a feudal state . An anonymous South Korean critic said , " Hereditary succession of power [ was an ] inevitable consequence of the elder Kim 's irrevocable commitment to the dream of founding a dynasty of his own and of his family " , adding that Kim Jong @-@ il 's rise to power was proof of the " degeneration " of the WPK into a " thoroughly personalized family affair built up around a personality cult . " The Communist Party of the Soviet Union , the Communist Party of China and other ruling parties of socialist states did not approve Kim Jong @-@ il 's appointment as heir apparent . Kim Il @-@ sung 's choice of successor arguably concerned the promotion of revolutionary zeal in the country ( taking into account the negative treatment Joseph Stalin received from his successor ) . 
