The U.S. remains “deeply concerned” about North Korean abductions, the State Department said Wednesday, following a meeting between Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman and representatives of two organizations representing families of kidnapees.

Sherman hosted the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN) and the National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea (NARKN) in Washington this week, along with Japanese lawmakers visiting the capital.

“The entirety of this department, including Deputy Secretary Sherman, continue to be deeply concerned about the human rights atrocities and violations that the DPRK partakes in, including the arbitrary detention and