U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights Julie Turner said now is the time to help North Korean people get the information they want, adding that free access to information for people in the reclusive state is important.

In a congratulatory speech at the first Seoul Freedom Forum hosted by the One Korea Network and the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation USA on Monday in Seoul, Turner noted that the United Nations' report on human rights in North Korea was published ten years ago, but the rights situation in North Korea is still the worst in the world.

She emphasized that the report's recommendations must be implemented, especially urging all UN member states, including China, to adhere to the principle of non-refoulement.

The envoy stressed that Washington will continue to pressure Pyongyang to respect the rights of its citizens, urging its leader Kim Jong-un and his government to allow its citizens freedom of movement, expression, assembly, association and religion.

Monday's event was held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the publication of the UN’s first human rights report on North Korea in 2014.