SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Myung- bak on Tuesday asked visiting US senators to make efforts to get a free trade agreement between Seoul and Washington endorsed soon, Lee's office said.

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Noting the South Korea-US alliance is stronger than ever, Lee asked five senators, including Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky republican who seats as Senate Minority Leader, for support of US Congress in further enhancing bilateral ties, according to Lee's office Cheong Wa Dae.

The president said the two-way free trade deal, signed in 2007 but not yet ratified, will be good not only for both economies but also their alliance. The senators, in response, said they expect South Korea to move toward ratification of the deal, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

The two countries have long differed over issues including South Korean auto imports and US beef imports. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Seoul last Saturday, also pressed for legislative approval of the deal.