22 U.S.C. § 7818 — National registry of Korean American divided families

submitted 1 year ago by Pub. L. 119-60 to r/title-22-FOREIGN-RELATIONS-AND-INTERCOURSE · 530 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

The State Department must build a private national registry of Korean American families separated from relatives in North Korea, to help plan reunions. Registry information can be shared only with the person's consent and strict privacy safeguards. The State Department must also push North Korea toward family reunions and report yearly.

(a) National registry. (1) The Secretary of State, acting through the Special Envoy, the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, or another designated official, must (A) engage, where practical, Korean American families wanting to reunite with relatives in North Korea from whom they were separated after the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed — including in-person and video reunions — and (B) build a private, internal national registry of these families' names and information, both to help arrange future reunions and to keep a record about family members in North Korea, including those who may have died. (2) The Secretary can agree to share registry information with Korean individuals or families, academic institutions, or others, but only if (A) the U.S. person whose personal information would be shared has consented, and (B) the agreement includes real commitments to keep the information private and confidential and not let it leak to outside parties. (b) Encouraging dialogue. (1) The Secretary should push for any direct U.S.–North Korea talks to include progress on future family reunions. (2) The Secretary must consult with South Korea's government as appropriate. (3) Each report required under section 7817(d) must describe those consultations from the past year, including (A) the registry's status; (B) how many registered people have already met their North Korean relatives, and how many haven't; (C) a summary of North Korea's responses to U.S. reunion requests; and (D) actions North Korea has taken to block family members from emigrating. (c) "Appropriate congressional committees" means the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a) National registry

(1) In general

The Secretary of State, acting through the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, or such other individual as the Secretary may designate, shall—

(A)

engage, to the extent practicable, Korean American families who wish to be reunited with family members residing in North Korea from which such Korean American families were divided after the signing of the Agreement Concerning a Military Armistice in Korea, signed at Panmunjom July 27, 1953 (commonly referred to as the “Korean War Armistice Agreement” ), in anticipation of future reunions for such families and family members, including in-person and video reunions; and

(B)

establish a private, internal national registry of the names and other relevant information of such Korean American families—

(i)

to facilitate such future reunions; and

(ii)

to provide for a repository of information about such Korean American families and family members in North Korea, including information about individuals who may be deceased.

(2) Disclosure of information

The Secretary of State may enter into agreements with Korean individuals and families, academic institutions, or other members of the public, as appropriate, to share, in whole or in part, information collected and housed in the database if—

(A)

the United States person whose personally identifiable information would be disclosed as a result of an agreement has provided consent to such disclosure; and

(B)

the agreement outlines reasonable steps and commitments to ensure that any information disclosed as a result of such agreement is—

(i)

kept private and confidential; and

(ii)

will not be disclosed improperly to other parties outside the agreement.

(b) Actions to facilitate dialogue between the United States and North Korea

(1) In general

The Secretary of State should take steps to ensure that any direct dialogue between the United States and North Korea includes progress towards holding future reunions for Korean American families and their family members in North Korea.

(2) Consultations

The Secretary of State shall consult with the Government of the Republic of Korea, as appropriate, in carrying out this subsection.

(3) Reporting requirement

(A) In general

The Secretary of State, acting through the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, shall include in each report required under section 7817(d) of this title a description of the consultations described in paragraph (2) conducted during the year preceding the submission of the report.

(B) Elements

The reporting required under subparagraph (A) should include—

(i)

the status of the national registry established pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(B);

(ii)

the number of individuals included on the registry who—

(I)

have met their family members in North Korea during previous reunions; and

(II)

have yet to meet their family members in North Korea;

(iii)

a summary of responses by North Korea to requests by the United States Government to hold reunions of divided families; and

(iv)

a description of actions taken by North Korea that prevent the emigration of family members of Korean American families.

In this section, the term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.

Source credit: (Pub. L. 119–60, div. H, title LXXXIII, § 8361, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1884.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

2025Enacted · Pub. L. 119-60 · 139 Stat. 1884

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 119-60 on 2025-12-18.

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