The U.S. Coupang Report Claiming "South Korea Lied": What 308 Footnotes Reveal

"South Korea lied. A U.S. citizen was threatened." A so-called "Coupang Report" released by Republican staffers in the U.S. House of Representatives has caused a stir. The title itself reads, "A Country That Rejects Competition: South Korea's Discriminatory Attacks on U.S. Companies." Beyond the title, the report is filled from start to finish with emotional and sharp expressions, claiming that "South Korea discriminates against, harasses, pressures, and threatens U.S. companies, and that South Korea has always been this way." It goes beyond merely advocating for Coupang, a "U.S. company headquartered in Seattle," and fully exposes the sense of victimization that the current U.S. ruling party (or at least a faction within it) harbors regarding trade with South Korea. It even includes a calculation that "due to South Korea's discriminatory practices, every American household will suffer an average economic loss of 5.7 million won." The position of the South Korean government, which has been faithfully communicating over the past six months, is nowhere to be found.

This is not an official diplomatic document from the U.S. government. It is not an official resolution report from the Republican Party, but rather a working-level report by staffers. However, as soon as this report was released, the White House issued a statement saying, "By any reasonable standard, Coupang has been targeted by the South Korean government... We are concerned about discrimination against U.S. companies." This indicates a trend where the U.S. government is accepting this report, which reflects only Coupang's position, at face value.

Coupang has been recorded as having engaged in lobbying activities in the U.S. worth over 5 billion won from early 2025 through the first quarter of this year (according to LDA data). The amount donated to politicians during the same period alone is equivalent to 480 million won. In January, they even donated 1,000 dollars to Representative Scott Fitzgerald, the subcommittee chair of the House Judiciary Committee, where this report originated. This shows that Coupang is not just a "U.S. company" but a firm that boasts a powerful "lobbying presence" in U.S. politics. Investment firms managing President Trump's assets have also been investing in Coupang from Trump's accounts. However, is it only for these reasons that the U.S. Congress issued a report containing such intense expressions about South Korea, an ally? And is South Korea the only ally that has recently received a report with such a hardline tone?

In fact, a bigger picture emerges from this report that goes beyond "defending Coupang." It suggests that many politicians in the current U.S. ruling party have other demands for economic zones outside the United States. Before this "Coupang Report," there was another "U.S. ally" targeted by a Republican Judiciary Committee staff report with an aggressive tone, using terms like "censorship, infringement, and weaponization of legislation." Where is that "ally," and what does the U.S. ruling party want?

This report also cites twice the estimate that "due to South Korea's discriminatory practices, the U.S. could face an economic loss of 750 trillion won over the next 10 years, and every American household could suffer an average loss of 5.7 million won." If this estimate were to be officially adopted by the U.S. government as a logic for trade policy, rather than just by "Republican staffers," it could lead to a very troublesome situation for South Korea. But what is the basis for this estimate, and who is making such claims?

In fact, this report not only unilaterally accepts Coupang's position but is generally filled with loose and emotional logic. Even setting aside the "defense of Coupang," the development of the report is difficult to take "seriously" in many places. The deep-seated "distrust" of economic cooperation with South Korea contained within it is not something that has formed overnight due to the "Coupang situation." It reminds us once again that we must continue our efforts to protect our national interests while providing "well-founded and gentle persuasion" to the U.S. political scene.

The most concerning part is that this report concludes that the South Korean government "spread false information and lied" about Coupang. Even though "harsh expressions" have been pouring out of the U.S. political scene recently like never before, this must be considered a high level of criticism. Many experts commonly advise that we need to act quickly to correct the perception being formed by U.S. ruling party staffers, who have fully embraced Coupang's claims over the conflicting positions of the South Korean government and are labeling us, an ally, as "liars."

Beyond the company "Coupang," we need to read the inner thoughts of the U.S. revealed in this report. In , reporter Kwon Aelee will break it down for you clearly.


1. Citing only Coupang... "South Korea lied"
2. Only 2 footnotes citing the South Korean government... and even those?
3. Coupang's omnidirectional lobbying, and...
4. "Because of South Korea..." What is the basis?
5. "South Korea's discrimination against U.S. companies," a deep-seated "animosity"
6. The conclusion that "South Korea lied" must be corrected

(Reported by Kwon Aelee | Filmed by Park Woo-jin, Cha Seung-hwan | Written by Jung Seo-woo | Edited by Chae Ji-won | Designed by Chae Ji-woo | Intern Kim Hye-won | Produced by Knowledge Contents IP Team)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.