I've been lucky enough to speak to a few north korean escapees (don't cry for them, they had the millions of USD required to relocate, bribe and buy cyprus/trinidad passports), and they all told me the same thing: people in north korea are, ironically, apolitical.

They are told to attend ritualistic events regarding the leader/party, so they go (the same way you'd go to the market on market day, or to church in a medieval village), but they don't see it as "politics". Politics implies you can disagree and there is an alternative or a debate to be had.

What they have is the inevitability of the party. Nobody argues against "money" or "oxygen", in the west, and they don't talk about politics, in NK. If you have a problem, you talk to your party official in town. If some important figure visits your city, you prepare a small feast for him, and you'll get a day off to wave some flags and put up some banners (or stay home if you helped prepare the celebration).

It's surprisingly similar to feudal europe. The serfs are not "politicized". They live and die under an existing hierarchy. Not to say they they are "happy" but they are not constantly unhappy. They don't all think alike either, but they clearly don't think about politics at all. The duke is the duke, and the king is the king.