#aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #agga  ,,an ,,act  ,to require      
consultations on reuniting ,korean      
,americans with family members in ,north
 ,korea4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,divided ,families  
,reunification ,act4  #b4 ,consultations
 on reuniting ,korean ,americans with   
family members in ,north ,korea  7a7    
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,the division of the    
,korean ,peninsula into ,south ,korea   
and ,north ,korea separated thousands of
 ,koreans from family members4  7#b7    
,since the signing of the ,agreement    
,concerning a ,military ,armistice in   
,korea1 signed at ,panmunjom ,july #bg1 
#aiec 7commonly referred to as the      
,korean ,war ,armistice ,agreement71    
there has been little to no contact     
between ,korean ,americans and family   
members who remain in ,north ,korea4    
7#c7 ,north ,korea and ,south ,korea    
first agreed to reunions of divided     
families in #aihe and have since held   

#ba face-to-face reunions and multiple  
video link reunions4  7#d7 ,those       
reunions have subsequently given        
approximately #bd1ejj ,koreans the      
opportunity to briefly reunite with     
loved ones4  7#e7 ,the most recent      
family reunions between ,north ,korea   
and ,south ,korea took place in ,august 
#bjah and did not include any ,korean   
,americans4  7#f7 ,the ,united ,states  
and ,north ,korea do not maintain       
diplomatic relations and certain        
limitations exist on ,korean ,americans 
participating in face-to-face reunions4 
7#g7 ,according to the most recent      
census1 more than #a1gjj1jjj people     
living in the ,united ,states are of    
,korean descent4  7#h7 ,the number of   
first generation ,korean and ,korean    
,american family members divided from   
family members in ,north ,korea is      
rapidly diminishing given the advanced  
age of those family members4 ,more than 
#c1jjj elderly ,south ,koreans die each 
year without having been reunited with  

their family members4  7#i7 ,many       
,korean ,americans with family members  
in ,north ,korea have not seen or       
communicated with those family members  
in more than #fj years4  7#aj7 ,the     
inclusion of ,korean ,american families 
in the reunion process would constitute 
a positive humanitarian gesture by the  
,government of ,north ,korea4  7#aa7    
,section #abfe of the ,national ,defense
 ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year  
#bjjh 7,public ,law #aaj-aha2 #abb      
,stat4 #djg7 required the ,president to 
submit to ,congress a report on efforts1
 if any1 of the ,united ,states         
,government to facilitate family        
reunions between ,united ,states        
citizens and their relatives in ,north  
,korea4  7#ab7 ,the position of ,special
 ,envoy on ,north ,korean ,human ,rights
 ,issues has been vacant since ,january 
#bjag1 although the ,president is       
required to appoint a ,senate-confirmed 
,special ,envoy to fill this position in
 accordance with section #ajg of the    

,north ,korean ,human ,rights ,act of   
#bjjd 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ghag74  7#ac7 ,in 
the report of the ,committee on         
,appropriations of the ,house of        
,representatives accompanying ,h4,r4    
#cjha1 #aaath ,congress 7,house ,report 
#aaa-ahg71 the ,committee urged the     
,special ,representative on ,north      
,korea ,policy1 as the senior official  
handling ,north ,korea issues1 to       
prioritize the issues involving ,korean 
divided families and to1 if necessary1  
appoint a coordinator for such families4
  7b7 ,consultations  7#a7              
,consultations with ,south ,korea ,the  
,secretary of ,state1 or a designee of  
the ,secretary1 should consult with     
officials of ,south ,korea1 as          
appropriate1 on potential opportunities 
to reunite ,korean ,american families   
with family members in ,north ,korea    
from which such ,korean ,american       
families were divided after the signing 
of the ,korean ,war ,armistice          
,agreement1 including potential         

opportunities for video reunions for    
,korean ,americans with such family     
members4  7#b7 ,consultations with      
,korean ,americans ,the ,special ,envoy 
on ,north ,korean ,human ,rights ,issues
 of the ,department of ,state should    
regularly consult with representatives  
of ,korean ,americans who have family   
members in ,north ,korea with respect to
 efforts to reunite families divided    
after the signing of the ,korean ,war   
,armistice ,agreement1 including        
potential opportunities for video       
reunions for ,korean ,americans with    
such family members4  7#c7 ,no          
additional authorization of             
appropriations ,no additional amounts   
are authorized to be appropriated to the
 ,department of ,state to carry out     
consultations under this subsection4    
7c7 ,additional matter in report ,the   
,secretary of ,state1 acting through the
 ,special ,envoy on ,north ,korean      
,human ,rights ,issues1 shall include in
 each report required under section     

#ajg7;d7 of the ,north ,korean ,human   
,rights ,act of #bjjd 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4    
#ghag7;d771 a description of the        
consultations described in subsection   
7b7 conducted during the year preceding 
the submission of each report required  
under such section #ajg7;d74  ,passed   
the ,house of ,representatives ,march   
#i1 #bjbj4;,clerk4