Washington, Dec 3 (IANS): For the 21st year in a row, the US has designated North Korea as a state violator of religious freedom.

"I am announcing designations against Burma (Myanmar), the People's Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Friday.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name,reports Yonhap News Agency.

According to the State Department, North Korea has been designated as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) since 2001 under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for "having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom".

On November 15, 2021, the Secretary of State redesignated the country as a CPC.