This might come as surprising for some people, but in the aftermath of the Korean War, as North Korea was rebuilding, it was acutally more prosperous than the South, which at the time, had become a bonfire of political disorder with coup after coup. North Korea's prosperity was brought crashing down by the Soviet Union's collapse, which led to the Arduous March famine, and at the same time, South Korea had transitioned to a liberal democracy. South Korea was opening up, while North Korea retreated inwards.
So, if you find some way to keep the Soviet Union around and keep South Korea in political limbo, then North Korea could be seen as the better option.
Thirty years ago, North and South Korea were more alike than different. But a vast gulf has opened between the two countries since South Korea last hosted the Olympics.
www.nytimes.com
Another way is for Kim il-Sung to die at the Battle of Pochonbo, which in North Korean historiography, is seen as one of Kim's greatest triumphs against the Japanese occupation of Korea. With Kim dead, North Korea could resemble more of a traditional Communist state and avoid the personality cult which has pretty much made North Korea a joke to the rest of the world.
en.wikipedia.org