The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that human rights are at the forefront of U.S. diplomacy even when it comes to efforts to denuclearize North Korea.

Department spokesperson Jalina Porter issued the position during a press briefing when asked if addressing the North Korean human rights issue was part of U.S. efforts to denuclearize North Korea.

The spokesperson said that broadly speaking, the U.S. always centers human rights at the forefront of its foreign policy and national security goals. 

Porter added that the U.S. also remains concerned about North Korea's nuclear activities and it is committed to the denuclearization of North Korea. 

The remarks came after Secretary Antony Blinken accused Pyongyang of "systematic and widespread abuses" against its own people while meeting with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong in Seoul.