Government Expresses Regret Over U.S. House Report Alleging 'Discrimination Against Coupang'

The South Korean government has refuted claims made in a U.S. congressional report alleging that Seoul treats American companies, such as Coupang, in a discriminatory manner, stating that the report is inconsistent with the facts.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Park Il said during a regular briefing today (July 2), "We express our regret that the (U.S. House) Judiciary Committee report reflects only the claims made by Coupang."
"We are expressing our regret that the positions and factual information we have previously explained to the U.S. Judiciary Committee were not reflected at all in the report," Park explained.
Park pointed out, "Investigations and measures regarding Coupang are being conducted lawfully and non-discriminatorily in accordance with domestic law, and the government guarantees a fair business environment regardless of nationality," adding, "The report's claim that the government is continuing discriminatory investigations and unfair regulations against Coupang is not true."
He added, "The government will continue to engage with the U.S. Congress and the administration to deliver accurate information," and "We plan to continue consultations with the U.S. side to ensure that issues related to Coupang do not negatively affect security discussions between South Korea and the U.S."
The U.S. congressional report released today contains strong language directed at an allied government, including terms such as "coercive investigative tactics," "aggressive stance of the Korea Fair Trade Commission toward U.S. firms," and "lack of procedural fairness."
It is reported that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has conveyed that it is prepared to hear the position of the South Korean government as well.
However, diplomatic circles are reportedly concerned, as the current U.S. Congress is seen as having a tougher stance than any previous one regarding the treatment of American companies operating abroad, and the direction of the Congress is clear.
Previously, in April, 54 members of a Republican caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha, demanding an end to discriminatory regulations against American companies, showing that pressure from the U.S. Congress is being expressed in various forms.
Nevertheless, it is understood that the government plans to continue its efforts to explain that the investigations and measures against Coupang are legitimate and fair procedures based on domestic law, considering that this report is an interim staff report and that additional reports or hearings may follow.
There is speculation that if the Coupang issue is highlighted again due to this report, follow-up security consultations related to the joint fact sheet from the South Korea-U.S. summit could be affected once more.
Discussions on security cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. were mentioned early this year, but the first meeting was only held early last month due to the impact of issues such as the Coupang case.
Before the first meeting was scheduled, National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac had stated, "It is true that the Coupang issue is affecting security negotiations."
In response, a Foreign Ministry official stated that the government is continuing to coordinate to ensure that the Coupang issue does not negatively impact South Korea-U.S. security discussions, with the goal of holding the second round of consultations by the end of this month at the latest.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.