This Feb. 15 photo shows North Korean residents gathering at a cultural hall in the North Korean town of Kaepung on the western front-line border with South Korea. Yonhap

In an annual Freedom House report titled "Freedom in the World 2023," the North received a combined freedom score of 3 out of 100 ― zero points for political rights and 3 points for civil liberties.

It ranked only above Turkmenistan at 2 points, and South Sudan and Syria with just 1 point each among 210 countries assessed by the organization.

South Korea scored 83 points in the index ― the same as the United States ― and was categorized as a "free" country.

The North has consistently been ranked in the group of the worst nations for freedom since Freedom House published its first annual report in 1972. (Yonhap)