Community members from Alaska met with Senator Sullivan (R-AK) during the 2019 KAGC National Conference, which helped led to his decision to co-sponsor the Korean War Divided Families Reunification Act (S.3395).

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Since the armistice of the Korean War in 1953, no official channel of contact has been established between those in North Korea and citizens of the United States. In more than 20 rounds of family reunions between South and North Koreans since 2000, Americans of Korean descent have been excluded due to their nationality. Estimates hold that nearly 100,000 Korean Americans have family members in North Korea whom they have not been able to reach, let alone meet, in over 70 years. Because 62% of the impacted family members are 80 years of age or older, there is a heightened sense of urgency to take action on this matter.

Divided Families Reunification Act (H.R.1771) and Korean War Divided Families Reunification Act (S.3395) are the first bills with substantive actions, as opposed to a non-binding resolution, and seek to explore a formal mechanism for reunions between Korean Americans and their families in North Korea. The bills direct the U.S. Department of State to appoint the U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights (which has been vacant since January 2017) and direct the State Department to report to congress the options to host in-person and video family reunions.

Divided Families Reunification Act (H.R.1771)
  • Introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D, NY-6) and co-sponsored by Rep. Rob Woodall (R, GA-7) on March 14, 2019
  • Secured 44 co-sponsors (6 Republicans & 38 Democrats) as of August 4, 2020
  • Passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee Markup on Oct 30, 2019
  • Passed the House with 391 votes on March 9, 2020
  • Referred to Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 10, 2020. 
  • In the House Appropriations Agreement for FY 2021, Rep. Meng has included the following phrase: “The Committee urges the Office of North Korean Human Rights, in consultation with Korean American community organizations, to identify Korean Americans who wish to be reunited with their family in North Korea in anticipation of future reunions.”
  • In the House Appropriations bill for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs in Fiscal Year 2021, Rep. Meng inserted a sense of Congress to support this effort: “The Committee urges the Office of North Korean Human Rights, in consultation with Korean American community organizations, to identify Korean Americans who wish to be reunited with their family in North Korea in anticipation of future reunions.”

Korean War Divided Families Reunification Act (S.3395)
  • Introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and co-sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on March 5, 2020.
  • Referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on June 2, 2020.
  • On June 24, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has co-sponsored the bill.
  • As of August 4, there are 2 Democratic co-sponsors and 1 Republican co-sponsor.

Since the start of the 112th U.S. Congress in 2011, KAGC has raised awareness of this issue and advocated for a measure to host humanitarian reunions for families torn apart by the Korean War. KAGC has partnered with Divided Families USA (DFUSA) in 2017 to further highlight the plight of the divided families. KAGC sent a joint letter with DFUSA to members of Congress to urge prioritizing humanitarian family reunions in the next steps of negotiations with North Korea in May 2018, and in September 2019, KAGC sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to ask to bring H.R.1771 for markup. In February 2020, KAGC sent a joint letter to House Majority Leader and Republican Leader to bring H.R.1771 to a floor vote.

More information on KAGC action and other relevant legislation in the past 10 years is as follows:

  • January 3, 2011: KAGC added the issue of Korean American divided families to its Korean American Policy Priorities.
  • March 6, 2014: H.Con.Res.91 was introduced by former Rep. Charles Rangel, “Encouraging reunions of divided Korean American families.”
  • April 21, 2015: H.Con.Res.40 was introduced by former Rep. Charles Rangel, “encouraging reunions of divided Korean American families.” This Resolution passed the House on November 29, 2016, and passed the Senate on December 10, 2016.
  • March 10, 2018: Ahead of the US-DPRK Summit, KAGC issued a public statement to 174 members of Congress, including those in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to urge prioritizing a long-term peace and security, as well as human links, in engaging North Korea.
  • April 13, 2018: An amendment to gauge the needs and explore options to host family reunions for Korean American divided families was introduced to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019; however, the amendment was removed in the Conference Committee. A similar amendment was introduced to NDAA FY 08 but removed in Conference, as well.
  • May 2, 2018: In response to the Panmunjom Declaration, KAGC sent a joint letter with Divided Families USA (DFUSA) to members of Congress to urge prioritizing humanitarian family reunions in the next steps of negotiations with North Korea.
  • June 8, 2018: H.Res.930 was introduced by Rep. Karen Bass (D, CA-37), “Encouraging reunions of divided Korean-American families.”
  • March 14, 2019: H.R.1771, “the Divided Families Reunification Act” was introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D, NY-6)
  • May 30, 2019: H.Res.410 was introduced by Rep. Karen Bass (D, CA-37), “Encouraging reunions of divided Korean-American families.”
  • September 25, 2019: KAGC sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to ask to bring H.R.1771 for markup. The letter was co-signed by 39 community and student organizations across the United States.
  • October 30, 2019: H.R.1771 passed the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, along with H.Res.410.
  • February 14, 2020: KAGC sent a joint letter to House Majority Leader and Republican Leader to bring H.R.1771 to a floor vote.
  • March 5, 2020: S.3395, “the Korean War Divided Families Reunification Act,” was introduced in the Senate with the bipartisan sponsorship of Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
  • March 9, 2020: H.R.1771, “the Divided Families Reunification Act,” passed the House with 391 votes, along with H.Res.410.

For more information on the history of the legislative development for divided Korean American families and KAGC awareness-raising work on the issue, please see below: 

KAGC Action and Legislative Development

KAGC Legislation Summary: Divided Families Reunification Act