Defense Bill Includes Levin Provision Requiring Report on American – North Korean Family Reunions

WASHINGTON – A provision authored by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., calling for a report on family reunions between U.S. citizens and their relatives in North Korea, has been included in the Department of Defense authorization bill agreed to yesterday by House and Senate negotiators. The House and Senate will vote on the final legislation and send it to the President for his signature into law.

“This is a welcome first step for the hundreds of thousands of Korean-Americans with immediate family members in North Korea,” Levin said. “Many of these Korean-Americans are elderly and eager to see their loved ones in North Korea as soon as possible. I hope this provision will open the door to many happy family reunions between U.S. citizens and their relatives in North Korea.”

The provision requires the President to submit a report to Congress within six months that calls for the President to describe any efforts the U.S. government has taken to facilitate reunions between U.S. citizens and their relatives in North Korea. Those efforts include discussions with the North Korean government to permit family reunions; and planning at the U.S. Embassy in Pyongyang, in the event of normalization between the two countries, to ease the way for American families to plan a reunion with their relatives in North Korea. The President is also required to report to Congress on the desirability and feasibility of increasing the U.S. government’s efforts to facilitate safe and transparent family reunions for these Americans.