CIA Director Mike Pompeo testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the threats the U.S. is facing worldwide at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, USA on February 13, 2018.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Americans would invest in North Korea if the hermit kingdom opened its doors to private investment.

"I am confident there are Americans who would want to invest in an open and rule-based North Korea," Pompeo said in an interview with CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera.

"We've told Chairman Kim: If we can denuclearize your country, there is a brighter future for the North Korean people," Pompeo said.

Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement last month committing to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," though experts have debated the significance of the brief accord.

Pompeo has previously said that private U.S. firms could be permitted to invest in a denuclearized North Korea, suggesting possible investments in agriculture and energy.

Pompeo's CNBC interview came hours after the secretary of state announced $113 million in new investments across the Indo-Pacific region, which includes North Korea.

"We are convinced that American engagement in the Indo-Pacific region benefits all countries in that region," Pompeo said Monday. "We want it to be free. We want it to be open."