North Korean leader Kim Jong-il can freely dispose of 20 percent of his country's budget, a former secretary of North Korean Workers' Party has said that. Hwang Jang-yop told the Asahi Shimbun, "Only 30 percent of the budget is spent on public services, while 50 percent is earmarked for military spending." Hwang defected to South Korea in 1997.Jean pretty much had the same budget allocation when we played the revolution game in class, no? 20% for the dictator, 50% for winning coalition maintenance and repression, and 30% for public goods. It's striking to see it so clearly described in a news article, though.
See also here.
Very interesting indeed. This adds substantial weight to the winning coalition theory. By ensuring his generals and military are well paid and looked after, Kim Jong Il has managed to hold on to power after all this years.
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