By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Two senators today introduced a new bipartisan bill meant to reunite Korean Americans who have been separated from their family members in North Korea since the Korean War. Currently, there is no way for Korean Americans who immigrated to the U.S. after the war to officially reunite with family remaining in North Korea.
FILE – A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post flying a national flag, seen from Paju, South Korea, on June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
Introduced by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), if passed, the bill, called the Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act, would create a national registry through the State Department with information regarding divided Korean American families and their relatives in North Korea, and allow the U.S. government to access the registry to facilitate in-person or virtual visits.
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) are co-sponsoring this bill. There is also companion legislation being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) and Young Kim (R-CA-40).