By Jun Ji-hye
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have spent at least 110 billion won ($97 million) firing a total of 31 ballistic missiles over the past five years, according to data from the Ministry of National Defense, Wednesday.
Kim has fired 16 Scud short-range ballistic missiles, six Rodong medium-range ballistic missiles, six Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and three submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) since he inherited the totalitarian state from his father Kim Jong-il in late 2011, the data showed.
The number of missiles the young leader has launched over the last five years nearly doubled compared to the 16 fired during his father’s 18-year rule.
Ministry and military observers believe that Kim has apparently spent at least 110 billion won on the launches, based on the estimated prices of each missile.
The price of a Scud or a Rodong is estimated at about 1 billion won to 2 billion won each, while a Musudan is estimated to cost about 3 billion won to 6 billion won. The price of an SLBM, which is still under development, is estimated at about 5 billion won to 10 billion won.
The ministry said the total expenses for the missile launches would have exceeded 110 billion won if labor costs had been added.
If the two nuclear tests conducted under the younger Kim’s leadership are taken into consideration, the estimated expenses would be in the hundreds of billions of won, the ministry added.
“Kim has clung to launching ballistic missiles apparently because he wants to improve the regime’s capability of mounting nuclear warheads in the missile tips,” a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
According to the 2014 Defense White Paper, the authoritarian state’s Scud missiles are believed to have a range of 300 to 500 kilometers, while the Rodong and Musudan missiles can fly 1,300 and 3,000 kilometers, respectively.
Scuds are capable of striking anywhere on the Korean Peninsula, while the Rodong can hit targets on the Japanese mainland and Okinawa. The Musudan can reach Guam, home to U.S. naval and air bases.