President Lee Myung-bak postponed a visit to the National Assembly over the free trade agreement with the United States until next week after a last-minute request from the main opposition party, officials said.

Lee rescheduled his visit until next Tuesday after the opposition Democratic Party said its leaders are willing to meet with the president if he comes on that day, senior presidential political secretary Kim Hyo-jae told reporters.

Lee had originally planned to visit the parliament later Friday to try to persuade lawmakers to approve the long-pending trade pact. The unusual move reflects the urgency that Lee feels on the need to break the parliamentary impasse over the landmark pact that the U.S. Congress already approved two weeks ago.

Seoul and Washington hope the agreement will go into effect as of Jan. 1.

South Korea's government and the ruling party have been stepping up efforts to ratify the trade pact that they believe will boost exports, create jobs and strengthen the alliance with Washington. But the main opposition Democratic Party opposes the deal, claiming it favors the U.S.

Earlier, Lee was quoted as saying that he would visit the parliament to try to persuade lawmakers with a humbler attitude.

But the opposition DP had said that its leaders wouldn't meet with Lee.

DP spokesman Lee Yong-sup said the proposed visit falls outside of political etiquette and is not helpful to efforts to work out a smooth resolution, denouncing the plan as "nothing but an attempt to build justification for railroading" the trade pact.

But the opposition changed its position after talks between DP floor leader Kim Jin-pyo and National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae, officials said.

The rival parties have been locked in a standoff over the trade deal, with the ruling party calling for early approval and opposition parties demanding revision of a contentious clause that they say favors the U.S.

Prospects of a breakthrough brightened after about half of the

87 DP lawmakers proposed a compromise earlier this week, pledging not to use force to block the passage of the pact if the government promised to renegotiate the provision with the U.S. after the deal takes effect.

On Thursday, the ruling and opposition parties called off a parliamentary plenary session scheduled for the day amid the standoff, forcing a delay in handling the key pact by at least another week. The next plenary meeting is scheduled for Nov. 24.

Lee has been working hard to help pass the agreement through parliament, and is ready to do "whatever he can" toward that goal, officials said. (Yonhap News)