Follow us on social

House passes another win for divided Korean American families

House passes another win for divided Korean American families

But will the Senate take up the mantle and finally bring about reunions between North Koreans and their families in America?

Analysis | Asia-Pacific

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Divided Families Reunification Act (H.R. 826), a bipartisan bill that seeks to prioritize reunions of Korean Americans with their loved ones in North Korea. The measure passed under suspension of the rules by 415-0. The same bill passed 391-0 in the 116th Congress.  

The Divided Families Reunification Act advises the Secretary of State to consult with South Korean officials about including Korean American families in reunions with North Koreans, including via video, and tasks the Special Envoy on North Korea Human Rights Issues to consult with divided Korean American families and explore opportunities for reunions. It also requires the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress outlining these consultations as part of reports required through the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004.

Most Americans do not know that the Korean War never formally ended. For thousands of Korean Americans with family members in North Korea, this status has real-life implications. The absence of a peace treaty has prevented the two countries from forging diplomatic ties and official channels of communication that are vital in international relations. The outcome: seven decades after the Korean War broke out, humanitarian activities such as family reunions remain tragically out of reach for Americans of Korean descent. 

South Koreans with family members in North Korea have had more success in this area, thanks to inter-Korean diplomacy. Twenty-one family reunions have been held between North and South Koreans since the armistice agreement that temporarily stopped the fighting. Time is of the essence. As Rep. Meng explained, “For Korean Americans...there is no pathway for such reunions, as they have not been permitted to participate in these inter-Korean family reunions. Many of these Americans are in their 70s through 90s, and time is of the essence to be reunited with their families.”

It is unclear whether H.R.826 will be enacted into law, despite the common-sense nature of the legislation. Senator Mazie Hirono will likely reintroduce the Senate companion bill, as she had done in the last Congress, though it will need support from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance.  

The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee’s appropriation bill for Fiscal Year 2022, which recently passed out of full committee, contains a provision calling on the Office of North Korean Human Rights to investigate the risks associated with third-party brokers who offer to locate and reunite divided families. The Senate appropriators should support this measure.

Rep. Meng’s bill also serves as a reminder that there is more at stake than simply the nuclear issue when it comes to North Korea. The U.S. government does not seem to be moved by these and other human costs to a policy that prioritizes pressure over political reconciliation with North Korea. As Esther Im and Paul Lee argued in The Diplomat, humanitarian issues such as Korean American divided families and POW/MIA recovery should not only be prioritized in U.S. talks with North Korea, but travel for the purposes of reuniting family members or bringing back remains should be exempt from sanctions and travel restrictions. 

The U.S. government has a responsibility to take care of its own people. It means making sure that its North Korea policy addresses the needs of American citizens for whom the Korean War is a daily reminder of lives torn apart.

US Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) (Photo by Lev Radin/Sipa USA)|Relatives chat at the end of a reunion for separated North and South Korean family members at Mount Kumgang resort, in this undated (and unconfirmed) photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang October 26, 2015. REUTERS/KCNA
Analysis | Asia-Pacific
Diplomacy Watch: NATO, Russia inch closer to confrontation

Diplomacy Watch: NATO, Russia inch closer to confrontation

QiOSK

A Russian cruise missile sailed through Polish airspace for 39 seconds Sunday on its way to strike the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, causing Poland to activate fighter jets and prepare to shoot down the missile if it lingered on the wrong side of Ukraine’s border.

Polish authorities quickly summoned Russia’s ambassador for a traditional diplomatic dressing down. In an unexpected turn, the Russian envoy dodged the summons. The snub rankled Polish leaders, who promised a response to Moscow’s “sign of contempt.”

keep readingShow less
Why no one should take this hawkish think tank seriously

Screengrab via youtube.com/@PBSNewsHour

Why no one should take this hawkish think tank seriously

QiOSK

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz shared a graphic on the X platform this week purporting to place blame on President Biden for Iran’s increasing stockpile of high enriched uranium — material that can be used in nuclear weapons — when in reality it’s Dubowitz, his organization and their allies in the Trump administration that are largely responsible.

“Facts are stubborn things,” Dubowitz said before showing the graphic. “Iran’s nuclear expansion has occurred under the Biden administration’s failed Iran policy of maximum concessions.”

keep readingShow less
Senegal dodges crisis as authorities certify opposition victory

Senegal's president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye speaks during a press conference in Dakar, Senegal March 25, 2024. REUTERS/ Luc Gnago

Senegal dodges crisis as authorities certify opposition victory

QiOSK

Political outsider Bassirou Diomaye Faye will officially be declared the next president of Senegal Friday after cruising to victory in this week’s elections just 10 days after being released from prison.

Faye won 54% of the vote, allowing him to avoid a second round matchup with former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, the Dakar Court of Appeals announced Wednesday. Ba has conceded defeat and congratulated Faye, as has current President Macky Sall.

keep readingShow less

Israel-Gaza Crisis

Latest