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South Korea will consider revising a policy that prohibits private radio broadcasters from transmitting to North Korea, President Lee Myung-bak told American legislators Thursday.

Rep. Ed Royce (R-California) said he raised the issue when he, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other legislators met the president.

"He said the broadcasting was important and they were looking at a policy that would allow private broadcasting into North Korea from South Korea," Royce said in a teleconference with reporters.

The prohibitions were put in place in 2000 to disallow privately funded radio stations based in Seoul from transmitting to North Korea.

"Some of those stations actually operate today despite this ban," the congressman said. "But it's important that these stations have the right to broadcast."

President Lee, elected from a conservative base, arrived in Washington on Wednesday. He will hold summit talks with U.S.

President George W. Bush at Camp David on Saturday.

Lee and U.S. legislators debated at length the pending Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, said Royce, discussing beef and autos, the two most contentious stumbling blocks to congressional approval of the trade deal.

The South Korean leader emphasized global partnership, according to Royce.

"He talks about the issues of global proliferation, of global disease, of drug proliferation around the world, global terrorism, and how the U.S. and Korea need to cooperate on these issues as well," he said.

WASHINGTON, April 17 (Yonhap)