US Says It Will Press N. Korea on Human Rights

FILE - Defectors from North Korea cover their faces with placards as a safety precaution for their relatives still living in the North, during a protest in Seoul, South Korea, against human rights abuses in North Korea, Jan. 26, 2015.

The United States is gravely concerned about human rights abuses in North Korea and will press for accountability for those responsible, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday ahead of an expected summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We remain gravely concerned and deeply troubled by these abuses. In tandem with the maximum pressure campaign, we will continue to press for accountability for those responsible," the department said in a statement.