Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Amid Tensions, Congressman Links US and North Korea on Family Reunions
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) calls for official channel to help Chicago librarian find lost family in North Korea
Korean Americans pressure Congress to reunite thousands of elderly immigrants with family in North Korea
Washington, DC June 20, 2006—A Republican congressman today called for the United States and the North Korean governments to cooperate on family reunions, noting that sharp political tensions should not overshadow thousands of Korean-Americans desperate to find families missing for over 50 years in North Korea.
“The people involved are now in their 70s and 80s and do not have much time left,” wrote Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) in his letters to the North Korean ambassador to the United Nations and to the US State Department. “For their sake, it is time to find a way to work together on this humanitarian problem, separate from all other political concerns.”
Rep. Kirk sent formal requests to the US and North Korean governments on behalf of Chicago librarian Cha-hee Lee Stanfield, linking the two governments on family reunions through an individual constituent case. Ms. Stanfield last saw her father and brother over 50 years ago.
“I was scared to contact North Korea by myself,” said Ms. Stanfield. “I am an American citizen—only the US government can protect me. Before Mark Kirk got involved, there was nowhere I could turn for help.” Without diplomatic relations or an embassy to North Korea, Ms. Stanfield did not even know where she could go to register her name for a reunion. Ms. Stanfield is part of a nationwide campaign, called Saemsori, to ask the United States to negotiate officially with North Korea on family reunions.
“These are vulnerable and elderly American citizens, desperate to see their families before they die,” said Saemsori director Alice Suh. “They need a safe and transparent way, through the US government, to present their cases to North Korea. They should not be making these contacts by themselves.”
In the absence of an official channel for family contacts, Saemsori has sought indirect channels by connecting individual constituents to members of Congress. Their offices then contact both the US and North Korean governments on behalf of constituents, and may be more likely to receive a response. The campaign is currently collecting data on divided families to raise awareness on this issue. Saemsori has received endorsements from over 15 US senators and representatives.
For more information:
Alice Suh, Director
202-329-2410
alice@eugenebell.org
www.saemsori.org