FULLERTON, CA — Today, Young Kim sent a letter to United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, calling on him to prioritize the reunification of divided Korean-American families who have been separated for seven decades.
“I wrote Secretary Pompeo to encourage him to prioritize the reunion of Korean-Americans separated from their families in North Korea,” said Kim. “As a Korean-American, I understand and have great empathy over the continued separation of Korean-Americans from their war-torn families in North Korea. Although over seventy years have passed, no one has felt the division between the two Koreas more acutely than those families – including Korean-American families – that remain separated by the DMZ. We must act before time runs out.”
An estimated 100,000 Korean-Americans have been separated from their families in North Korea since the division of the Korean Peninsula. Korean-Americans have long sought an opportunity to be reunited with the families they were separated from so many years ago. There have been 21 reunions for Korean citizens, including one that took place this month, but there have been no formal reunions for Korean-Americans.
Young Kim said “We face critical national security challenges in dealing with North Korea. I ardently share the Administration’s goal of seeing a denuclearized North Korea. I also believe that progress on family reunions could be compatible and even helpful in advancing that national security goal.”
Read the full copy of Young Kim’s letter.