I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7152 

To direct the Secretary of State to establish a national registry of Korean 

American divided families, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 30, 2024 

Ms. WEXTON (for herself and Mrs. STEEL) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of State to establish a national 

registry of Korean American divided families, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Divided Families Na5 tional Registry Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NATIONAL REGISTRY OF KOREAN AMERICAN DI7 VIDED FAMILIES. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 

9 through the Special Envoy on North Korean Human 


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1 Rights Issues or such other individual as the Secretary 

2 may designate, shall— 

3 (1) identify Korean American families who wish 

4 to be reunited with family members in North Korea 

5 from which such Korean American families were di6 vided after the signing of the Agreement Concerning 

7 a Military Armistice in Korea, signed at Panmunjom 

8 July 27, 1953 (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Ko9 rean War Armistice Agreement’’), in anticipation of 

10 future reunions for such families and family mem11 bers, including in-person and video reunions; and 

12 (2) establish a national registry of the names 

13 and other relevant information of such Korean 

14 American families— 

15 (A) to facilitate such future reunions; and 

16 (B) to provide for a repository of informa17 tion about such Korean American families and 

18 family members in North Korea, including in19 formation about individuals who may be de20 ceased. 

21 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

22 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State 

23 $1,000,000 to carry out this section. 


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1 SEC. 3. ACTIONS TO FACILITATE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE 

2 UNITED STATES AND NORTH KOREA. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall take 

4 such actions as may be necessary to ensure that any direct 

5 dialogue between the United States and North Korea in6 cludes progress towards holding future reunions for Ko7 rean American families and their family members in North 

8 Korea as described in section 2. 

9 (b) CONSULTATIONS.—The Secretary of State shall 

10 consult with the Government of the Republic of Korea in 

11 carrying out this section. 

12 (c) REPORT.—No later than one year after enact13 ment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

14 of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

15 committees a report on— 

16 (1) the status of the national registry estab17 lished pursuant to section 2(a)(2); 

18 (2) the number of individuals included on the 

19 registry who— 

20 (A) have met their family members in 

21 North Korea during previous reunions; and 

22 (B) have yet to meet their family members 

23 in North Korea during previous reunions; 

24 (3) a summary of responses by North Korea to 

25 requests to hold reunions of divided families; and 


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1 (4) a description of regulations in North Korea 

2 and actions taken by North Korea in the year pre3 vious to submission of each report that prevent the 

4 emigration of family members of Korean American 

5 families. 

6 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

7 DEFINED.—In this Act, ‘‘appropriate congressional com8 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

9 House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 

10 Relations of the Senate. 

Æ 


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