Park meets with U.S.lawmakers

South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with visiting U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, and discussed ways to strengthen ties between the two countries, officials said

The meeting between Park and the nine congressmen -- including Mike Rogers, chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on strategic forces -- was at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, they said.

"The determined support of the U.S. Congress largely helped the development of S. Korean-U.S. relations," Park was quoted by the officials as saying.

In response, Rep. Rogers assured that the U.S. delegates will continue to make efforts in bolstering partnerships and strengthening bilateral ties, the officials said.

Park also said that the military alliance between the two countries was the reason the Korean Peninsula stayed peaceful despite recent North Korean provocations, they added.

"Unification is the ultimate solution to the North Korean nuclear and human rights issues," Park said, asking that the U.S. Congress continue to pay attention to North Korean issues. (Yonhap)