Authorities estimated that the North has spent nearly $1.5 billion on its nuclear arms development programs.

The figure encompasses $700 million in construction funding for nuclear reactors and other facilities, up to $400 million in scientific operations and associated expenses to produce highly enriched uranium and also $2 million for nuclear weapons, according to the Ministry of Unification.

North Korea revealed in November 2010 a vast new secretly built facility for enriching uranium during an eminent U.S. nuclear scientist’s visit to its Yongbyon complex.

The ministry also estimated in December last year that North Korea had spent a total of $1.34 billion on two recent rocket launches since the Kim Jong-un took power of its regime.

The figure broke down into $400 million for building the launch site in Dongchang Village, $600 million for the launch of nuclear-weapon carrier vehicles, and $300 million to build rocket equipment and facilities.

The annual food demand for the North is equivalent to 5.3 million tons of corn, or about $1.5 billion. Authorities estimated that North Korea’s nuclear arm spending plus the rocket development has reached at around $3.2 billion, equivalent to 10 million tons of corn, enough to feed the country for 31 to 36 months.

North Korea maintains the world’s fifth-largest army with an estimated force of 1.16 million, compared to about 655,000 in the South. According to the state-run Korea Institute of Defense Analyses or KIDA, the North’s military spending also rose to $570 million in 2009 from $540 million in 2008.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)