[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 190--ENCOURAGING REUNIONS OF KOREAN AMERICANS WHO 
      WERE DIVIDED BY THE KOREAN WAR FROM RELATIVES IN NORTH KOREA

  Mr.KIRK (for himself and Mr.Warner) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 190

       Whereas the division of the Korean Peninsula into the 
     Republic of Korea (referred to in this preamble as ``South 
     Korea'') and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``North Korea'') separated 
     more than 10,000,000 Koreans from family members;
       Whereas since the signing of the Korean War armistice 
     agreement on July 27, 1953, there has been little to no 
     contact between Korean Americans and family members who 
     remain in North Korea;
       Whereas North and South Korea first agreed to divided 
     family reunions in 1985 and have since held 19 face-to-face 
     reunions and 7 video link reunions;
       Whereas those reunions have subsequently given 
     approximately 22,000 Koreans the opportunity to briefly 
     reunite with loved ones;
       Whereas the most recent family reunions between North Korea 
     and South Korea took place in February 2014 after a 
     suspension of more than 3 years;
       Whereas the United States and North Korea do not maintain 
     diplomatic relations and certain limitations exist for Korean 
     Americans to participate in inter-Korean family reunions;
       Whereas more than 1,700,000 people of the United States are 
     of Korean descent;
       Whereas the number of first generation Korean and Korean 
     American divided family members is rapidly diminishing given 
     advanced age;
       Whereas many Korean Americans with family members in North 
     Korea have not seen or communicated with their relatives in 
     more than 60 years;
       Whereas Korean Americans and North Koreans both continue to 
     suffer from the tragedy of being divided from loved ones;
       Whereas the inclusion of Korean American families in the 
     reunion process would constitute a positive humanitarian 
     gesture by North Korea and contribute to the long-term goal 
     of peace on the Korean Peninsula shared by the governments of 
     North Korea, South Korea, and the United States;
       Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
     Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181; 122 Stat. 3) requires the 
     President, every 180 days, to submit to Congress a report on 
     ``efforts, if any, of the United States Government to 
     facilitate family reunions between United States citizens and 
     their relatives in North Korea''; and
       Whereas in the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (Public 
     Law 111-242; 124 Stat. 2607), Congress urged ``the Special 
     Representative on North Korea Policy, as the senior official 
     handling North Korea issues, to prioritize the issues 
     involving Korean divided families and, if necessary, to 
     appoint a coordinator for such families'': Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the significance of the past willingness of 
     North Korea to resume reunions of divided family members 
     between North Korea and South Korea;
       (2) encourages North Korea to permit reunions between 
     Korean Americans and their relatives still living in North 
     Korea;
       (3) calls on the Secretary of State to further prioritize 
     efforts to reunite Korean Americans with their divided family 
     members;
       (4) acknowledges the efforts of the American Red Cross to 
     open channels of communication between Korean Americans and 
     their family members who remain in North Korea;
       (5) encourages the Government of South Korea to include 
     United States citizens in future family reunions planned with 
     North Korea; and
       (6) praises humanitarian efforts to reunite all individuals 
     of Korean descent with their relatives and engender a lasting 
     peace on the Korean Peninsula.

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