Sponsors (6)
The bill creates a small, funded U.S. registry plus mandated reporting and diplomatic advocacy to help Korean American families seek reunions and closure, but it raises privacy and security risks, may complicate diplomacy, and appears underfunded for durable, secure implementation.
Korean American families (including parents and other relatives) gain a centralized U.S. registry to document relatives in North Korea and preserve information (including about deceased relatives), making it easier to pursue in-person or video reunions and obtain closure.
The bill strengthens U.S. diplomatic advocacy for family reunions and requires annual reporting by the Special Envoy, increasing transparency and public oversight of reunion efforts and registry status.
The legislation provides a dedicated appropriation ($1 million authorized) to the State Department for outreach and registry operations, increasing the likelihood the program will be stood up and maintained at least initially.
People who register and their relatives still in North Korea face privacy and safety risks because collecting and storing personal data could expose sensitive information or create security vulnerabilities.
Collecting and publicizing information and pressing for reunions could complicate U.S.–North Korea diplomacy, give Pyongyang leverage or cause resistance, and thereby delay or limit reunion outcomes.
The authorized $1 million is limited and may be insufficient to locate dispersed families, verify records, and maintain secure systems over time, risking program ineffectiveness or insecure data storage.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress February 12, 2025
Creates a State Department-run national registry of Korean American families who were separated from relatives in North Korea after the 1953 armistice, to record names and other relevant information and to help arrange in-person or video reunions. The State Department is authorized $1,000,000 to set up and maintain the registry. Directs the Secretary of State to pursue family reunions as an objective in any direct U.S.–North Korea dialogue, consult with the Republic of Korea as appropriate, and include specified registry and reunion information in the annual North Korean human rights report to Congress.