N. Korea says will boost military strength as pressure grows - Russian MP Pashin
MOSCOW. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Members of the Russian State Duma delegation were told at recent meetings with North Korea's supreme leadership that Pyongyang will increase its military strength if it finds itself under growing pressure, Vitaly Pashin, a member of the delegation, told Interfax.
"The more the pressure on the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] grows, the more our [North Korea's] combat preparedness will strengthen," Pashin said, conveying North Korea's position.
The meetings in Pyongyang were held with high-ranking North Korean officials, among them Chairman of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Nam, he said.
A considerable part of the talks addressed the issue of sanctions, Pashin said.
"We were told: 'The bigger the sanctions, the stronger we become. Nothing can crush North Korea. North Korea will never be crushed.' These are their words," he said.
"We will make fuel from soil. We will adapt. We will cope," Pashin quoted North Korean officials as saying.
North Koreans also assured the Russian delegation that any sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies will not break the nation's will, he said.
"It is difficult for them. But they are being optimistic," Pashin said.