The U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights has suggested that the U.S. will maintain its policy promoting human rights in the North even if Donald Trump returns to the White House. 

Julie Turner, the U.S. special representative for North Korean human rights made the comments on Wednesday during an interview with KBS.

Turner said that the U.S. political conversation around North Korean human rights is bipartisan and has been consistent from the start, adding that she doesn’t expect that to change. 

The envoy said that it’s much harder to send information into North Korea in a way that has traditionally been used, adding the important thing is to invest in and explore new tools that could be useful. 

As for China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, Turner urged Beijing to allow the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees access to North Korean defectors in China to determine whether they are illegal immigrants or refugees.

Turner also stressed the need for cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on the issue of abductees in North Korea, saying that it’s important for the three nations to closely communicate and make decisions together so that North Korea cannot try to undermine the allies’ trilateral cooperation.