By DPA,
Seoul : North Korea has spent over $700 million on rocket and nuclear tests since April, a South Korean newspaper estimated Monday.
The seven rocket tests Saturday alone cost an estimated $43 million, South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported citing government figures.
The launch of a long-range rocket in early April cost around $300 million and the country’s second nuclear test, carried out May 25, cost as much as $400 million, the report said.
The estimated figure of $700 million for the tests so far this year would have been enough to alleviate North Korea’s food shortages for two years, the newspaper added.
Three hundred million dollars would buy 1 million tonnes of rice in the world market, it said.
North Korea launched seven rockets over the Sea of Japan in a period of 10 hours Saturday in defiance of UN resolutions.