Well, even if North Korea’s citizens starve, it’s not for want of cash. Check out some of North Korea’s more recent arms purchases, courtesy the Chosun Ilbo:
Despite North Korea’s severe economic crisis, the country has imported $400 million worth of weapons equipment over the last five years, the Ministry of Defense said Thursday. The purchases includes combat planes, submarine parts and air-search radar. Also, North Korea has exported Scud missiles and missile-related accessories worth more than $110 million to Middle East countries such as Iran over the past three years.
The ministry reported that North Korea imported weapons and equipment worth $60 million last year from China, Russia, Germany, Slovakia and Austria. These include combat planes, ship accessories, tires for armored vehicles and communications equipment.
In 2001, Pyongyang imported combat plane parts, armored vehicles, helicopters and gunpowder worth $120 million from China and Russia; in 2000 it bought aircraft parts, air-search radars, engines, automatic navigation devices, military jeeps and others worth $100 million from Japan, Germany, Russia, China and Belarus. In 1998 and 1999, Pyongyang imported MIG-21s combat planes, engines, submarine parts, helicopters and gunpowder worth $240 million.
Give the Russian Defense Ministry credit for honesty:
Russia, in response to criticism that it has been providing offensive weapons to North Korea, said Wednesday that its military technology cooperation with Pyongyang has been severed because of North Korea’s severe economic crisis.
“Because the UN’s weapon export prohibitions do not apply to North Korea, we are able to supply North Korea with weapons,” said Russian Defense Deputy Minister Michael Dmitriev. “But Russia’s weapon trade is based on the principle of commercialism, so North Korea’s current economic circumstances preclude trade on a large scale.”
So, does that mean that you’ll basically sell to anyone with the hard currency to spare?
