The U.S. government says human rights conditions in North Korea are still some of the worst in the world.

According to the U.S. State Department’s 2012 report on human rights, defectors from North Korea continue to report executions without a legal process, numerous missing persons, random confinement, and torture. The report said North Korea’s human rights status was deplorable.

The annual report said North Korean human rights were poor in 2009, then steadily worsened to deplorable and grim in 2010 and 2011. Last year’s report deemed the status of human rights in North Korea as extremely poor.

The recently released report pointed out North Korea, China and Vietnam as problematic countries regarding human rights among countries in East Asia and the Pacific region.

Meanwhile, the report said South Korea respects human rights overall, but shed light on the controversy over the country’s national security law.