Centreville, VA – Today, Foreign Policy for America (FP4A) hosted a meet-and-greet event with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and members of the Korean American community who were separated from their families in North Korea during the Korean War. The event, held at the Centreville Regional Library, provided a meaningful opportunity for two Virginia residents to share their personal stories of separation and loss and discuss the ongoing efforts for Korean American family reunification.
Foreign Policy for America has been actively working with a coalition of organizations, including the National Coalition for the Divided Families, Divided Families USA, and the American Friends Service Committee, to advocate for the rights and recognition of Korean American divided families through a national registry.
“I greatly appreciated the opportunity to speak with Korean Americans in Northern Virginia today regarding bipartisan legislation I introduced to make it easier for members of their community, including over 66,000 Korean Americans in Virginia, to reunite with their families after decades of being apart following the Korean War. I look forward to remaining in touch with the community as we work together to get this legislation across the finish line,” said Senator Kaine.
“We are proud to stand with Korean American families in their efforts to reconnect with their long-lost loved ones,” said Esther Im, Senior Policy Advisor for Peace and Security at FP4A. “Today’s event is a powerful reminder that the challenges on the Korean Peninsula have never just been abstract foreign policy issues happening ‘over there’ – they have touched the lives of thousands of American families. It is our hope that this measure not only takes an important first step towards finally reuniting families after a long 70 years, but we hope that such reunions serve as a confidence-building measure to support diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea and reduce the threats on the Korean Peninsula.”
Earlier this year, Senator Kaine introduced Senate Bill 3876 to establish the first national registry for Korean American families wishing to be reunited with their family members in North Korea. Today, Senator Kaine spoke about the importance of this initiative with Korean American individuals seeking to reconnect with their family members. The proposed registry aims to identify families, facilitate eventual reunions, and serve as a repository of information about separated families. This legislation is an important first, and timesaving, logistical step to move this issue forward and represents a long-time ask of the divided families community.
###
