The United States said it has made clear to North Korea that an improvement in human rights conditions, including religious freedom, will be required for a full normalization of bilateral ties.

In the annual International Religious Freedom Report released on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said the North Korean government continued to deny its people the right to religious freedom and committed violations that constituted crimes against humanity.

According to the report, in engagements with North Korean officials during summits in February and June last year, the U.S. government "consistently made clear full normalization of relations will require addressing human rights, including religious freedom."

It is the first time the U.S. linked the North's human rights including religious freedom to normalization of relations in the annual report.

The report added that the U.S. made clear that addressing human rights would significantly improve prospects for closer ties between the two countries.