Kim Jong-gap, the CEO of the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), said Tuesday that earnest discussions on investment in North Korea can come after progress in talks between the United States and North Korea.

Kim made the remarks during a parliamentary audit, apparently referring to ongoing negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang over the latter‘s denuclearization in return for a security guarantee from the former.

“I don’t think that we are at a stage where we can discuss issues associated with such investment in North Korea at this point in time,” Kim said.

In response to a question asking whether investment in the North can be recovered should one invest in the North, the KEPCO chief said there could be “various business models” in light of investment returns.

“I have not reviewed (the models) concretely, but I think that (we need to) clarify the ways to collect one‘s investment,” he said. (Yonhap)