The U.S. Congress appears to have included in a defense policy and budget bill support for reunions of Korean Americans who were separated from family in North Korea after the 6/25 war.
According to the House-Senate conference version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released by the U.S. Congress on the 7th (local time), it includes a requirement that the Secretary of State compile a list of Korean Americans who were separated from family in North Korea after the signing of the Korean War armistice. The aim is to facilitate the process if, in the future, Korean American families have a chance to meet family in North Korea in person or by video.
The bill also calls for including reunions for Korean American separated families on the agenda if the United States enters into direct talks with North Korea. It further instructs appropriate consultations with the Korean government to advance efforts such as compiling the list, and directs the Secretary of State, through the special envoy for North Korean human rights, to report on ▲ the status of list compilation ▲ statistics on family reunions ▲ North Korea's responses to reunion requests.
However, the State Department's special envoy for North Korean human rights has been vacant since Julie Turner, acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, appointed under the previous Biden administration, resigned when Trump's second term began.
Support for separated family reunions has been sought for years by Korean American separated families, and a similar bill passed the House floor last year but was automatically scrapped when the congressional session changed before completing the legislative process.
The number of Korean American separated families currently residing in the United States is estimated at about 100,000.