A rugged guerilla fighter and his band of loyal rebels established a dynastic communist state that has withstood decades of U.S sanctions and economic hardship. This statement can be applied to only two countries in the world: Cuba and North Korea.

Although Cuba and North Korea are located far apart, the origins of the two states are surprisingly similar, and the shared revolutionary guerilla experiences of Fidel Castro and Kim Il Sung became the ideological basis for the Cuba-DPRK alliance for decades to come. Both Castro and Kim forged their revolutions from the mountains with the assistance of loyal and dedicated followers, and these followers later became the backbone of the Cuban and North Korean governments.