Prime Minister Chung Un-chan expressed his hope that the motion for South Korea's troop dispatch to Afghanistan would be passed by the National Assembly.

At a meeting with ministers today, Chung said sending troops to Afghanistan as a member of the international community would help rebuild the war-torn nation.

In particular, he stressed that South Korea had defended itself with a considerable amount of international aid during the Korean War.He said that thereafter, the South Korea-U.S. mutual defense treaty made South Korea’s economic development and democratization possible.

In a visit to a military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province later in the day, Chung said the South Korean military should contribute to international security, world peace and counterterrorism efforts.

He said the nation needs to make this contibution in order to repay international support it received in the past as well as to protect national interests.