Contributed photo
Contributed photo
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) released a statement on Tuesday regarding hundreds of North Korean families that were reunited this week after being separated during the Korean War.
"Though hundreds of Korean families were reunited this week in North Korea, the fact remains that more than 66,000 families have been divided for decades," Kirk said. "The State Department should continue to prioritize these reunification efforts and create an official channel to assist in the reunification of Korean Americans, including 60,000 in Illinois, with their relatives in North Korea."
In June, Kirk and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced Senate Resolution 190, a bill aimed at urging the State Department to prioritize reunification efforts and encourage North Korea to permit reunions between Korean Americans and their relatives still living in North Korea.
Kirk previously served as co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Commission on Divided Families, which documented cases of broken-up families, and urged North Korea to let them reunite.
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