SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary speaker on Thursday made a thinly veiled defense of Seoul's move to host a U.S. missile defense system, saying all countries have the right to take "self-defense" measures against external threats.
During his remarks at an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and China, Chung Sye-kyun also called for joint efforts to remove the root cause of the threats, alluding to the North's nuclear and missile programs.
"Every sovereign state has the right to take self-defense steps to cope with external threats," Chung said.
"Rather than getting embroiled in arguments over the responses (to the threats), it is time for us to muster up our power and wisdom to do away with the cause. When the cause disappears, there will naturally be no need for such measures," he added.
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