The Chosun Ilbo reports:
North Korea has spent at least US$40 million on the personality cult surrounding ex-leader Kim Jong-il since he died in December last year. With yet more statues to be built, the figure is likely to keep growing.
The money would buy the impoverished country 130,000 tons of maize, which could feed the entire population of 24 million for 13 days.
According to an informed source, the North Korean government started repair work on the Towers of Eternal Life that are found at all major crossroads nationwide after Kim's death. It was to change the slogan "Our great leader Kim Il-sung is eternally with us" to "Our great leader Kim Il-sung and dear leader Kim Jong-il are eternally with us."
There are over 3,000 such towers across North Korea. The one in Pyongyang's Kumsong Street stands 92.5 m tall. The source said the cost of removing the towers' granite stone tablets and replacing them is $25 million, or an average of W9.3 million per tower (US$1=W1,131).
A 23-m-tall statue of Kim Jong-il erected in Mansudae on April 13 is estimated to have cost $10 million, which includes the repair cost of the statue of Kim Il-sung which already stood there, the source said. Kim Il-sung is now dressed in a suit, not in party uniform, and sports glasses....
The source said the regime spent more than $1 million embalming Kim Jong-il’s body because it had to fly in embalmers from Russia and import a special glass casket. Regular maintenance -- the body needs to be retrieved every two weeks to apply antiseptic -- is expected to cost $2.5 million a year.
[Well, at least some people are making money from the screwing of the North Korean people (via - and nsfw)]
Yes, but Sweden is much worse. John Pilger says so.
Posted by: Bob-B | August 27, 2012 at 10:52 AM
At the link...
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Would that be a NOOki?
Posted by: DaninVan | August 27, 2012 at 10:29 PM