Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act

# Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act - Summary **What the bill does:** This bill would create an official government registry to track Korean American families separated from relatives in North Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953. The State Department would collect information from families wanting to reunite with North Korean relatives and maintain this registry.

Importantly, the bill requires the State Department to make family reunions a priority topic in any direct negotiations with North Korea's government. **Who it affects:** The bill directly affects Korean American families with relatives trapped in North Korea—a situation affecting thousands of people whose families were divided by the war and the subsequent division of the peninsula. It also impacts the State Department, which would be responsible for managing the registry and incorporating family reunions into diplomatic talks with North Korea. **Key provisions:** The State Department must collect and organize family information, establish and maintain the registry, include family reunions in any direct dialogue with North Korea, and provide regular reports to Congress on the registry status, past reunions, and North Korea's actions related to family reunions. **Current status:** The bill (HR 1273) was introduced in the 119th Congress by Representative Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) and is currently in committee, meaning it hasn't yet advanced to a full floor vote.