WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today introduced the Divided Families Reunification Act, legislation which directs the State Department to prioritize reunification efforts between Korean Americans and their relatives in North Korea, who have been divided since the Korean War. 

The bill also creates a regular dialogue mechanism between the State Department and affected Korean-American families so that the federal government takes into account the views and advice of those personally affected by the decades-long separation from their loved ones.

“A lack of diplomatic relations should not stand in the way of reuniting Koreans who were separated from their families more than 60 years ago. There are tens of thousands of Koreans, many of whom living in the United States, who are still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones,” Sen. Warner said. “This bill will encourage the State Department to prioritize opening up this opportunity to Korean-Americans by requiring discussion during bilateral negotiations with South Korea. These families have waited long enough.”

Following the division of the Korean Peninsula into South Korea and North Korea, more than 10 million Koreans were separated from their family members, many of whom now live in the United States. Since the signing of the Korean War armistice agreement on July 27, 1953, there has been little to no contact between Korean Americans and their family members who remain in North Korea.

“Time is running out for these reunifications to happen and more families will have no knowledge of their loved ones’ whereabouts,” Sen. Kirk said. “We need to make sure that there is an official channel to assist in the reunification of Korean Americans, including the 60,000 Korean Americans in Illinois. This bipartisan bill gives a voice and hope to the thousands of families seeking reunification.”  

In June 2015, Sens. Warner and Kirk introduced a resolution encouraging North Korea to permit reunions between Korean Americans and their relatives still living in North Korea and urging the government of South Korea to include U.S. citizens in future family reunions planned with North Korea.

Previously, Sen. Warner has worked to provide visas to Koreans with specialized skills that are lacking in the U.S. labor market and to strengthen bilateral ties between the United States and South Korea.

A copy of the legislation is available here.