Korean War Legacies: Healing the Trauma of Korean American Family Separation

June 25 marks 74 years since the beginning of the Korean War, which remains unresolved today. Perhaps the most palpable legacy of this conflict are the separated families — both on the Korean Peninsula and in the diaspora — who are unable to see or communicate with each other. As the first generation of divided families enter the twilight of their lives and barriers to direct people-to-people exchanges endure, there is a need to explore the intergenerational impact of family separation and opportunities for sustaining the collective memories of this human connection between the United States and North Korea.

On June 25, USIP hosted a conversation that explored alternative pathways for facilitating reconciliation between Washington and Pyongyang at a time of deadlocked U.S.-North Korea relations. This event highlighted current initiatives that aim to support Korean American divided families, including the proposed Divided Families National Registry Act, which would establish a U.S. government registry for divided families, and Letters to My Hometown, a storytelling project to archive video messages from elderly Korean Americans to their relatives in North Korea.

For more information about this event, please visit

Speakers:

Frank Aum, welcoming remarks

Senior Expert, Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), introductory remarks

U.S. Representative from California

Former Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), recorded video message

Former U.S. Senator

Ambassador Julie Turner

U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, Department of State

Paul Kyumin Lee

President, Divided Families USA

HJ Lee

Co-Founder and Executive Director, KoreanAmericanStory.org

Chahee Lee Stanfield

Korean-American Divided Family Member; Executive Director, National Coalition for the Divided Families

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The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. The Institute pursues its mission by linking research, policy, training, analysis and direct action to support those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world. Learn more about USIP