The check's in the mail

N Korea seeks $75 trillion in compensation

Excerpt:

Cash-strapped North Korea has demanded the United States pay almost $US65 trillion ($75 trillion) in compensation for six decades of hostility.

The official North Korean news agency, KCNA, says the cost of the damage done by the US since the peninsula was divided in 1945 is estimated at $US64.96 trillion.

The compensation call comes on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the start of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

KCNA said the figure includes $US26.1 trillion arising from US "atrocities" which left more than 5 million North Koreans dead, wounded, kidnapped or missing.

The agency also claims 60 years of US sanctions have caused a loss of $US13.7 trillion by 2005, while property losses were estimated at $US16.7 trillion.

The agency said North Koreans have "the justifiable right" to receive the compensation for their blood.

It said the committee's calculation did not include the damage North Korea had suffered from sanctions after its first nuclear test in 2006.

Comment: The check's in the mail: "This is a term often used to imply that something being expected by someone at the other end is indeed NOT on its way. It doesn't necessarily have to refer to a check at all but can mean anything in general. It's often said in a flippant way to someone who is inquiring about something they're waiting on. Say you are waiting to get the results of tests you undertook regarding a job application; when you call to inquire about it, you're rudely told, "Yeah, the check's in the mail" meaning they're just trying to brush you off."

Image: From Dr Strangelove: That's Slim Pickens riding "the bomb". He's got the check!