SEOUL, FEB 19: North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il is believed to control at least two billion dollars in slush funds, a news agency report said here Saturday. Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified government source as saying that Kim is believed to receive 60 million to 70 million dollars every year from various sources. This includes cash gifts from government agencies, donations on his February 16 birthday, and between 100 and 200 kilograms of gold ingots from the North's defence ministry.The north's military is engaged in various ventures to earn hard currency and gold. Those funds are deposited in Gold Star Bank, a joint venture between Austria and North Korea, in the form of letters of credit or remittances, according to the source. Kim usually withdraws from the bank seven million to eight million dollars at a time, the report said.
