South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae held a series of meetings with U.S. lawmakers and asked for their support for Seoul's policy on North Korea, including its push for unification preparations, officials said Thursday.

The lawmakers -- Reps. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ed Royce (R-CA) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) -- expressed backing for South Korea's approach to the North and offered advice during the meetings that took place on Wednesday, officials said.

Rubio said he believes the South should maintain a close alliance with the U.S. while also strengthening relations with Japan and China. Royce recommended the South look for ways to help provide the North Korean people with greater access to outside information, according to the officials.

Ryoo has been on a visit to Washington since Tuesday, the second stop on his weeklong trip to the U.S., which took him to New York earlier. After Washington, the minister plans to visit Los Angeles before heading home. (Yonhap)