S 555119th CongressIntroduced

Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act

Introduced: Feb 12, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act would require the Secretary of State to create a national registry to identify Korean American families who were separated from relatives in North Korea after the Korean War, with the goal of facilitating future reunions (including in-person and video reunions). The act envisions a private, internal registry containing the names and relevant details of these families and a repository of information about their North Korean family members, including those who may be deceased. It also authorizes funding of $1 million to carry out these duties. In addition, the bill directs the State Department to pursue dialogue with North Korea in ways that advance potential reunions, to consult with South Korea as appropriate, and to include reporting on these activities in existing North Korean human rights reporting, including the status and size of the registry, reunions that have occurred, and North Korea’s responses to reunion requests and emigration barriers.

Key Points

1Creates a national registry (private/internal) to identify Korean American families seeking reunions with relatives in North Korea and to store information to facilitate future reunions and maintain a repository on both sides of the divided families. Reunions may be in-person or via video.
2Authorizes $1,000,000 in funding for the Secretary of State to implement the registry and related activities.
3Allows the Secretary to enter into privacy-conscious agreements with individuals, families, academic institutions, or others to share information from the registry, provided consent is given and appropriate confidentiality safeguards are in place.
4Requires steps to facilitate U.S.–North Korea dialogue with a goal of making progress on family reunions, plus consultations with the Government of the Republic of Korea.
5Adds reporting requirements under the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, detailing registry status, reunion progress (who has met or not met), North Korea’s responses to reunion requests, and actions affecting emigration of family members.
6Defines “appropriate congressional committees” as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Korean American families separated from relatives in North Korea who seek reunions.Secondary group/area affected: North Korean family members, and U.S. and South Korean government actors involved in diplomacy and consular affairs.Additional impacts:- Data privacy and governance considerations due to collecting and potentially sharing personal information (consent, confidentiality, and limits on disclosure).- Diplomatic implications of U.S.–North Korea conversations centered on family reunions.- Budgetary impact, though modest ($1 million) relative to foreign affairs initiatives.- Potential involvement of academic institutions or private entities in handling or analyzing registry data under consent.

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