N Korea's Armistice Anniversary will cost $2.4b
July 27, 2013 00:00:00
The foreign delegations sets to visit North Korea may loosen the joint cooperation of the international community as there is a concern that it might set a bad example for global community in favour to North Korea who roars with nuclear missiles to the Korean peninsula, experts on global peace viewed, according to a report by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
"Considering the North Korea's chronic economic dire, the North Korea's waste of national funds for the idolization of the Kim's and ostentatious events while abandoning the North Korean people's welfare cannot be justified," they said to the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).
It said the estimated expense for the Kim, Il-sung's 100th birthday ceremony was around US$ 2.4 billion ($ 850 million for missiles launch, $130 million for main event and $1.6 billion for ostentatious construction).
"As the ceremonial concept of the North Korea's Armistice Anniversary is to celebrate 'the Kim's victory of the National Liberation War against the U.S.', the truth about the Korean War that broke out because of Kim, Il-sung's greedy ambition to invade South Korea can be distorted as 'a resistance war against the U.S.' imperialist invasion," global experts further commented.
It is reported that Kim Jong-un, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, will invest a minimum of $150 million to complete the construction works on the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum and the cemetery for North Korean soldiers and hold a military parade for the celebration of "Victory Day," or the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, on July 27.
The scale of the parade will be similar to or greater than the one held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth on April 15, 2012.
It will be North Korea's largest-ever military parade, and 15,000 personnel and 530 pieces of military equipment are expected to be mobilized.
Experts who are familiar with North Korea's internal situation said on July 19 that "North Korea spent about $2.6 million to provide fuel to the equipment used in military parade practices for the past 100 days" and "an estimated amount of at least $150 million will be used to construct the War Museum and hold a miliary parade."
They further added that "Kim Jong-un gave orders to have the finest materials used in constructing the War Museum, and the construction cost alone will amount up to $95 million at the minimum."
The military parade is also assessed to be the largest one in North Korean history.
A ROK military official stated to MBC that "though the North is suffering from chronic food shortage, it is planning to hold a military parade similar to the one held on South Korea.
Since last August North Korea, mobilizing its soldiers, has been constructing a new memorial on the nearby land of the old memorial, and ever since this July, North Korea has been intensifying the festival ambiance by having broadcasted Kim, Jong-un's visit to the construction site of the 'memorial', a battlefield tour of soldiers/youths/residents etc. consecutively.
In this regard, the minimum expense for the events, such as the completion of the war victory memorial and military parade etc. is estimated to be around 150 million USD.
Based on a report of Rodong Sinmun (the official newspaper of North Korea's Workers' Party) in August 2003, the size of the old memorial will be much bigger than old one, and the construction expense is expected to be at least 95 million USD as Kim, Jong-un has commanded to use the best construction materials.
Also, this year's military parade is expected to be the similar scale as the military parade for Kim, Il-sung's 100th Birthday on April 15, 2012, and it is estimated that for last 100 days, around 2.6 million USD was spent on the petroleum of the vehicles (tanks, trucks etc.) mobilized, Rodong Sinmun coated.
Munhwa Bangsong Jushikhoesa, literally "Cultural Broadcasting Corporation") is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks, and is the oldest among all commercial broadcasting networks in South Korea.
