Bill passes House; will link Korean Americans with North Korean relatives | By John Kim (Summer 2024)
Approximately 100,000 Americans with relatives in North Korea saw a boost of support from the U.S. House of Representatives when it voted 375 to 8 in favor of the Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act (DFNRA) (H.R. 7152).
The bill, introduced by Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), and passed by the House on June 25, will establish a national registry of Korean Americans and their relatives in North Korea to facilitate future family reunions. The new U.S. registry will be similar to the existing registry of South Korean and North Korean separated families.
The DFNRA is closely related to a bill titled The Divided Families Reunification Act (H.R 826) That bill, which was made law as part of the (fiscal year) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, directs the Secretary of State and the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, to consult with their South Korean counterparts to host family reunions. The bill did not specify a definitive timeline, despite the need for urgency with over 85 percent of divided family members aged 80 and older. Should reunions not occur in the near-term, a family registry would ensure that descendants of Korean American divided families can participate in future reunions.
One such Korean American from a divided family, Ki Shin Lee, born July 5, 1934, was interviewed by Paul Kyumin Lee, president of Divided Families USA. Lee told the interviewer “before I die, my last wish is to see my two youngest siblings again,” and “I’m hoping for an opportunity to visit North Korea through the United States … and say that I’m sorry to them.”
Logistical and implementation challenges
The passage of the Registry Act must be considered in the context of geopolitical developments between the U.S. and North Korea. The 2019 U.S.-North Korea Summit in Hanoi, a meeting between North Korean leader Jong Un Kim, and former U.S. President Donald Trump, led to the halt in bilateral communication after the two sides could not come to an agreement over UN sanctions relief in exchange for a limited retraction of nuclear weapons capability. Since then, Kim has deepened his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has agreed to help the war against Ukraine by sending more than 7,000 containers stocked with ballistic missiles, artillery shells, and conventional weapons.
Meanwhile, inter-Korean relations reached an all-time low in January of this year when Kim took the unprecedented step of calling South Korea (the Republic of Korea (ROK) its “principal enemy,” – the U.S. had formerly held the position of “principal enemy” – and threatened to annihilate it if provoked. Four months later, Pyongyang released hundreds of trash-filled balloons towards South Korea, which landed in streets, on buildings, and on cars. The trash balloons were reportedly released by the North in response to the “frequent scattering of leaflets and other rubbish” in border areas by activists in the South, according to a BBC report.
With the renewed trilateral security cooperation in the U.S.-Japan-South Korea alliance, the current political situation requires the easing of tensions prior to the resumption of family reunions. But since any easing of tension does not seem to be imminent, the Family Registry Act comes at a timely moment amidst increased pressure for the preservation of family history.
There are other complexities in establishing the family registry and getting separated families to sign on to it. Korean American family members with North Korean relatives may not wish to identify themselves as such in a public way, due to perceived shame of association with North Korea and/or fears that doing so could risk the safety of their North Korean family members.
There are also official and procedural concerns about which nation’s agency (whether the U.S., South Korea or North Korea) will cover the cost of reunions. There are significant costs in administering reunions, including family members’ travel, lodging, the cost of establishing compatible telecommunications links, and other costs.
The ROK’s Ministry of Unification is in charge of that nation’s inter-Korean relations and has played a significant role in the past in administering the reunions. In North Korea, the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) is its main agency responsible for managing inter-Korean relations, but it ceased operations this year after Kim declared an end to the policy of reunification.
The history of Korea’s divided families
The saga of divided families began at the end of World War II (in 1948) when the Korean Peninsula was partitioned along the 38th parallel, which placed the northern half under the Soviet Union’s control and the southern half under control of the U.S. During the Korean War, thousands of refugees fled their hometowns, and some went south to avoid the warfare or to find other family members. After the Korean War ended (July 27, 1953), the refugees found that they could not get back to their homes and families due to the militarization of the border between South and North. Some of these refugees settled permanently in South Korea, others were able to immigrate to the U.S.
The first formal inter-Korean family exchanges happened in 1985 when a group of 50 South Koreans traveled to Pyongyang and a reciprocal group of 50 North Koreans went to Seoul. Inter-Korean family reunions were again revived under South Korean President Dae-jung Kim (1998- 2003) and again under President Moo-hyun Roh (2003-2008). Reunions occurred less frequently during the more conservative administrations of Presidents Myung-bak Lee and Geun-hye Park. Overall, between 2000 and 2018, 21 ROK-DPRK family reunion gatherings were held, bringing together more than 20,000 family members.
Next steps for the Divided Families Registry Act
The passage of the DFNRA in the House of Representatives is only half of the equation. In March 2024, the Senate version of the National Registry Act (S.3876), was introduced bySen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). The bill thus far has garnered five bipartisan co-sponsors, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
Due to scheduling and other logistical challenges, it is unclear whether DFNRA will get a floor vote, which is necessary for the bill to move out of the chamber and onto the President’s desk. The Senate is in recess during August and the first week of September. After recess, there are only a few weeks of legislative time before the end of the 118th Congress in December. The upcoming election in November will also slow down legislative business, since nearly a third of senators will campaign for reelection in their home states. The Senate is facing other competing priorities; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- NY) listed his priorities: Government appropriations, a child tax credit bill; rail safety regulation; and cannabis banking.
If the Registry Act is not voted on by the end of 2024, it will have to be reintroduced in the 119th Congress (2025-2026). There is a pattern that previously-passed House bills with strong bipartisan support tend to be supported in the following session. However, a major factor in continuing to push the bill is that the original sponsor, Rep. Wexton, will not return to Congress due to a health condition. The bill will have to find a new sponsor.
Author’s note: The views expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Korean American Grassroots Conference (KAGC) nor its members.
