A group of ethnic Koreans residing in the U.S. that have relatives living in North Korea plans to conduct a survey on Koreans in the U.S. that have long-lost kin in the communist state.

The Voice of America said Monday that the group plans to collect information on the number of such Koreans in the U.S., their age, and gender as well as data on their relatives in the North.

The group’s move comes as the North recently expressed willingness to allow ethnic Koreans living in the U.S. to hold temporary reunions with their relatives in the North.

A group member reportedly met recently with an aide of Congressman Charles Rangel to seek Congressional help regarding the proposed family reunions. The group wants to know if Congress can help finance the reunions with funds earmarked for projects related to the North Korea Human Rights Act.

Last week, the Voice of America said the group was drawing up a list of Koreans living in the U.S. that wish to take part in a pilot program that would enable them to exchange letters with their relatives in North Korea.

When U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King visited the North in May, he and North Korean officials discussed the possibility of allowing Koreans residing in the U.S. to exchange letters with their relatives in the North.