Divided Families Foundation

The Divided Families Foundation is a grassroots nonprofit organization that advocates for humanitarian reunions on behalf of Korean American senior citizens seeking safe and reliable sources of information about their divided family members in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K. or North Korea).

Separated in a matter of days and minutes during the Korean War, these Americans have waited for over 60 years for news and the possibility of meeting their loved ones who they left behind in North Korea. Because of the lack of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the D.P.R.K., there is no U.S. government channel to protect them if they attempt to meet their relatives in the D.P.R.K.

When Korean Americans attempt to visit the D.P.R.K., they are not treated as Americans but are instead herded through "re-education" events and often told their relatives have already passed away. The only other alternatives are through "brokers" advertising "inside connections" to North Korea, who often force them to pay thousands of dollars, promising to find their relatives, but then disappear with their money.

Saemsori works to make sure that a transparent, U.S. government channel for Korean Americans is created, whether through the State Department or through the passage of legislation.