The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is asking U.S. President Barack Obama to include North Korea among the “countries of particular concern.”

In its 2009 report on religious freedom, the independent government panel pointed out that religious facilities in North Korea are operated by the country’s Ministry of Public Security.

The commission urged the U.S. government to link the issues of religious freedom and human rights to North Korean aid and diplomatic normalization.

The group also called on the government to pressure Beijing to allow North Korean defectors in China to contact the United Nations and other international organizations.

Thirteen nations including North Korea, China, Iran and Iraq are qualified to be included on the commission’s list of countries of particular concern. In addition, Russia, Cuba, Somalia and eight others were added to its watch list.