Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Press Release: Korean-Americans Launch Campaign for North Korea-US Family Reunions
For more information:
Alice Jean Suh
Eugene Bell Foundation, Washington Office Director
202-429-3877 (office)
a l i c e @ e u g e n e b e l l . o r g
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Korean-Americans launch campaign for North Korea-US family reunions; with support of 10 US congressmen
Washington, DC, 08 February 2006—The Korean-American Coalition of the Midwest and the Eugene Bell Foundation, joined by members of Congress and a White House official for Asian-American affairs, at the National Press Club today launched a campaign to promote family reunifications and positive human contacts between the US and North Korea.
US Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) spoke at the conference, and nine other congressmen, including Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN), Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Rep Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Rep Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep Ed Royce (R-CA), Rep Katherine Harris (R-FL), Rep Tom Davis (R-VA) and Rep Jim Leach (R-IA), confirmed they will send letters supporting Korean-American divided families.
This campaign, called Saemsori, will collect information from the Korean-American community on Americans with family members in North Korea. For 50 years, they have been unable to exchange letters, phone calls, or even confirm that relatives are still alive.
Chahee Lee Stanfield, a Chicago librarian, was five years old when her family was separated. “Sixty years ago, my family was split forever,” she said. Through sources in China, she later learned that her father had become a famous marathon runner and teacher in North Korea. “My family situation is both bitter and sweet. While most of the separated families don’t know any details of what happened to their families in North Korea, we at least know that my father passed away.”
“There is no higher priority issue that unites all Korean-Americans than family reunification,” said US Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL). “There are thousands of Korean-American families that have been separated from their relatives currently living in North Korea since the Korean War over half a century ago. My congressional district is home to many aging Korean-Americans who are anxious to be reunited with their loved ones.”
“One of my saddest experiences is to have grandmothers come up to me after a presentation of our work,” said Dr. Stephen Linton, chairman of the Eugene Bell Foundation which aids 44 North Korean hospitals and tuberculosis centers. “They will shove several wrinkled dollar bills into my hand and start crying saying ‘I've heard that many old people have died there so I don't know if she's alive, but can you please find my sister and give this to her?’”
“These Korean-Americans need a voice,” said Mr. Se-heum Hong of Chicago, a constituent of Rep. Kirk and president of the Korean-American Coalition of the Midwest. “Many are afraid because they fear that being from North Korea will get them in trouble,” he said. “Others just don’t know where to go, or who would be able to help them. I believe America cares about their human stories. We need to remember that North Korea is not just a foreign policy issue, but a domestic issue.”
“The Korean-American community, particularly the elderly, faces linguistic and cultural barriers to bringing its story to the American public,” said Jimmy D. Lee, executive director of the White House Initiative for Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. “Our job is to reach out to these underserved communities.”
“Our role is to be a constructive voice and to think of concrete solutions for divided families,” said Alice Jean Suh, head of the Saemsori campaign and Washington office director at the Eugene Bell Foundation. “They don’t have much time.”
Saemsori’s projects include: 1.surveying the Korean-American population for an accurate estimate of the total number of divided families; 2.collecting a database with specific humanitarian cases as a reference for the US government; 3. creating an archive of letters, photos and oral histories about family separations.
For more information about Saemsori, please visit www.saemsori.org.
For more information about the Eugene Bell Foundation, please visit www.eugenebell.org.
Alice Jean Suh
Eugene Bell Foundation, Washington Office Director
202-429-3877 (office)
a l i c e @ e u g e n e b e l l . o r g
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Korean-Americans launch campaign for North Korea-US family reunions; with support of 10 US congressmen
Washington, DC, 08 February 2006—The Korean-American Coalition of the Midwest and the Eugene Bell Foundation, joined by members of Congress and a White House official for Asian-American affairs, at the National Press Club today launched a campaign to promote family reunifications and positive human contacts between the US and North Korea.
US Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) spoke at the conference, and nine other congressmen, including Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN), Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Rep Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Rep Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep Ed Royce (R-CA), Rep Katherine Harris (R-FL), Rep Tom Davis (R-VA) and Rep Jim Leach (R-IA), confirmed they will send letters supporting Korean-American divided families.
This campaign, called Saemsori, will collect information from the Korean-American community on Americans with family members in North Korea. For 50 years, they have been unable to exchange letters, phone calls, or even confirm that relatives are still alive.
Chahee Lee Stanfield, a Chicago librarian, was five years old when her family was separated. “Sixty years ago, my family was split forever,” she said. Through sources in China, she later learned that her father had become a famous marathon runner and teacher in North Korea. “My family situation is both bitter and sweet. While most of the separated families don’t know any details of what happened to their families in North Korea, we at least know that my father passed away.”
“There is no higher priority issue that unites all Korean-Americans than family reunification,” said US Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL). “There are thousands of Korean-American families that have been separated from their relatives currently living in North Korea since the Korean War over half a century ago. My congressional district is home to many aging Korean-Americans who are anxious to be reunited with their loved ones.”
“One of my saddest experiences is to have grandmothers come up to me after a presentation of our work,” said Dr. Stephen Linton, chairman of the Eugene Bell Foundation which aids 44 North Korean hospitals and tuberculosis centers. “They will shove several wrinkled dollar bills into my hand and start crying saying ‘I've heard that many old people have died there so I don't know if she's alive, but can you please find my sister and give this to her?’”
“These Korean-Americans need a voice,” said Mr. Se-heum Hong of Chicago, a constituent of Rep. Kirk and president of the Korean-American Coalition of the Midwest. “Many are afraid because they fear that being from North Korea will get them in trouble,” he said. “Others just don’t know where to go, or who would be able to help them. I believe America cares about their human stories. We need to remember that North Korea is not just a foreign policy issue, but a domestic issue.”
“The Korean-American community, particularly the elderly, faces linguistic and cultural barriers to bringing its story to the American public,” said Jimmy D. Lee, executive director of the White House Initiative for Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. “Our job is to reach out to these underserved communities.”
“Our role is to be a constructive voice and to think of concrete solutions for divided families,” said Alice Jean Suh, head of the Saemsori campaign and Washington office director at the Eugene Bell Foundation. “They don’t have much time.”
Saemsori’s projects include: 1.surveying the Korean-American population for an accurate estimate of the total number of divided families; 2.collecting a database with specific humanitarian cases as a reference for the US government; 3. creating an archive of letters, photos and oral histories about family separations.
For more information about Saemsori, please visit www.saemsori.org.
For more information about the Eugene Bell Foundation, please visit www.eugenebell.org.