Acting President Lee Ju-ho says the government will communicate closely with the Czech Republic to finalize the nuclear power plant deal between South Korea’s Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power(KHNP) and the European country’s energy company. 

The acting president made the pledge Wednesday during a meeting with economy- and security-related ministers after a court in the Czech Republic blocked the country’s energy company from signing a deal with KHNP to build two nuclear reactors. 

Lee said the signing of the contract, originally scheduled for Wednesday, has been put on hold, adding that the Seoul government will communicate closely with Prague to resolve the legal issues and finalize the contract as soon as possible. 

The acting president said the Czech government takes the position that the bidding and evaluation process was transparent and conducted in accordance with the law. 

The Brno Regional Court issued the preemptive ruling Tuesday, saying the deal cannot be signed until the court rules on a complaint from the losing bidder, France’s EDF.

The ruling came a day before KHNP was scheduled to sign the contract with Elektrárna Dukovany II, a subsidiary of the Czech Republic’s main electricity firm, CEZ.