MOSCOW. Oct 17 (Interfax) - It is possible that North Korean Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Kim In Ryong is telling the truth when he says that Pyongyang is almost ready to drastically increase the range of its ballistic missiles for purposes of a nuclear strike on the United States, Anton Morozov, a State Duma deputy who recently visited North Korea with a group of colleagues and was received at a high level, told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Nothing can be ruled out. It is quite possible that they have already laid the groundwork for increasing the range of their missiles that much. They told us they planned to increase missile range three to four times. The three-fold increase stands for 9,000 kilometers, while the four-fold increase would mean 12,000 kilometers, which is farther than the U.S. west coast," Morozov said.
North Korean Supreme People's Assembly Chairman Kim Yong Nam clearly said this is a matter of "the near future," Morozov said.
North Korea has been under sanctions for almost 70 years, and "it is simply compelled to give some kind of response," he said.
"North Korea has rather substantial scientific-technical potential and groundwork in the field of missile and nuclear technologies," Morozov said.
"It is time the U.S. left the region. [...] A collective security system should be designed there, just like Europe has done," he said.
As to whether the North Korean diplomat might be bluffing when he said that Pyongyang would be able to deliver a nuclear strike on U.S. territory, Morozov said he could not completely rule out that option. "I believe it could be a factor of deterrence on the part of North Korea, which is thus trying to deter U.S. aggression," he said.