what happened in north korea 1953-1992?

They were actually a lot better of then S korea actually. Korea (north and south) completly destroyed during WW II and the Korean War so there was a lot of build up going on. The north managed that a lot better then the south in the beginning, because they had all the natural resources and the industrial part of korea and the south was basically an agricultural state without any major technology. GDP in the north was a lot higher then in the south and the US officials who were stationed in the south were desperate.

What totally did the north in, was their inability to do any major reforms like the south did in the 1970s and so within a decade S korea was one of the biggest industrial and technology exporting nations of asia. (this was before china started it's reforms)

Freedom wise - things were a bit more free then today - but still it was a dictarorship. People could study in other communist countries (I met so many koreas who speak fluent german). The oldest Kim was a national hero, as he had fought in WW II against the Japs so people actually must have kind of like him in he beginning.