House Passes Rep. Bass Resolution Encouraging Reunions of Divided Korean-American Families

'I want to thank the local organizers and families in my district who brought this incredibly important issue to my attention at a local town hall a few years ago,' said Rep. Karen Bass. 'The division of the Korean Peninsula millions of families, including some who are now citizens of the United States and have not been able to see their families in more than 70 years. The institution of family is inalienable and reunification with family members should be a humanitarian priority of immediate concern. I am glad that is now the sense of the U.S. House of Representatives.'

Watch her remarks before the House here.

In 1953, the division of the Korean Peninsula separated more than an estimated 10 million families, including some who are now citizens of the United States and have not been able to see their families in nearly 70 years. H. Res. 294 encourages the United States and North Korea to begin the process of reuniting Korean-American divided family members through exchanging information of divided family members in a pilot program for family reunions and finding matches for members on the divided family member registry through organizations such as the Red Cross.

Read the text of the resolution passed by the House here.