Uri Party lawmaker Kim Hyuk-kyu, who joined a parliament delegation that recently visited Washington, says the U.S. has expressed willingness to provide energy aid to North Korea if the communist state abandons its nuclear weapons program and opens up to the world.

Speaking on a KBS Radio program on Friday, Kim cited comments from U.S. officials including newly appointed as National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and Michael Green, advisor-elect on Asian affairs at the National Security Council.

Kim quoted the officials as saying the energy aid may take on the form of providing electricity from hydraulic or thermal powerstations, as Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions make it undesirable to run nuclear power plants in the country.