Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to help reunite Korean American families who have been separated since the Korean War.
Today, Sen. Ossoff launched a push to pass the bipartisan Divided Families National Registry Act, legislation he co-sponsored to help reconnect Korean Americans with family in North Korea.
“The Korean War marked a painful time for families who were separated in the Korean peninsula. Many of those families immigrated to the United States and decided to call Georgia home, becoming an important part of our community. That’s why as Chair of the Korea Caucus in the U.S. Senate, I am helping bring Republicans and Democrats together to help Korean American Families reunite with their loved ones,” Sen. Ossoff said.
The bipartisan legislation would establish a voluntary registry of Korean American families and their relatives in North Korea through the U.S Department of State to help reunite families in-person or virtually.
For Korean Americans who have immigrated to the U.S. since the war, there is no official channel to reunite with family members still in North Korea.
Georgia is home to more than 73,000 Korean Americans, representing one of our fastest-growing populations, and more than 40,000 Georgians speak Korean at home.
Sen. Ossoff has been a strong advocate for the Korean American community in Georgia and remains a leader in the U.S. Senate pursuing stronger relations with South Korea, maintaining frequent contact with senior South Korean diplomatic and economic officials.
In September, Sen. Ossoff began working across the aisle to pass the bipartisan Partner with Korea Act to encourage greater ties between American and Korean businesses.
Last year, Sens. Ossoff, Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Todd Young (R-IN) launched the U.S. Senate Korea Caucus to advance and strengthen the relationship and alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
Sen. Ossoff also led two economic delegations to Seoul to continue pushing for additional Korean investment in Georgia and establishing Georgia as the advanced manufacturing hub in the U.S.
Click here to read the Divided Families National Registry Act.
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