MENG, KIM, AND HIRONO CALL ON ADMINISTRATION TO PRIORITIZE REUNITING DIVIDED KOREAN FAMILIES AHEAD OF SUMMIT WITH KOREAN PRESIDENT LEE

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs, and Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), along with U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) announced today that they wrote a bipartisan letter to President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the administration to prioritize the reunification of Korean American families with their relatives in North Korea. The letter was sent ahead of South Korean President Lee’s upcoming visit to the White House on August 25.

Approximately 100,000 Korean Americans have been separated from their relatives in North Korea since the Korean War. Since 2000, South Korea and North Korea have held over 20 family reunions; however, there has not been an official channel for Korean Americans to be included.

In their letter, Meng, Kim, and Hirono wrote, “Across the United States, tens of thousands of members of the Korean American community are seeking to reunify with their loved ones who were separated from family as a result of the Korean War. These divided families have relatives living on both sides of the 38th parallel, marking the divide between North and South Korea. Seven decades after the armistice, the lack of reunification opportunities—or even information about the whereabouts of family members—remains a source of deep pain for many.”

Meng originally introduced her Divided Families Reunification Act in 2019. It passed the House several times and was signed into law in 2022 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) thanks to bipartisan support from Rep. Young Kim and a companion bill in the Senate led by Senator Hirono.

The legislation required the U.S. Secretary of State, or a designee of the Secretary, to consult with South Korean officials on potential family reunion opportunities for American families and their relatives in North Korea. It also required the U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues to consult biannually with representatives of Americans who have family members in North Korea about its efforts to support family reunions, and to inform Congress of opportunities to utilize video conference technology to encourage virtual reunions.

The Members continued, “Seven decades after the armistice, time is running out. We urge you to include divided families in the conversations with South Korea as it is an issue of great importance to Korean Americans across the nation.”

The letter is supported by the Korean American Grassroots Conference and the Council of Korean Americans.

A copy can be viewed here.