South Korean Ambassador to U.S. Kang Kyung-wha Returns Home for Consultations on Key Bilateral Issues Including Coupang

South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha will return home for a five-day visit to discuss key bilateral issues with government officials, including matters related to Coupang, investment in the U.S., and security consultations between the two countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that, following instructions from Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Ambassador Kang will stay in South Korea from tomorrow, July 15, to July 19, to hold working-level meetings with officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Presidential Office, and other relevant ministries regarding overall South Korea-U.S. relations.

A Foreign Ministry official explained the background of the visit in a phone call with SBS, stating, "Given the current pending issues and the importance of the South Korea-U.S. relationship, Ambassador Kang is coming to Seoul to meet with various officials to share the local situation and the government's position."

However, as it is highly unusual for a sitting ambassador to the U.S. to return home separately for working-level consultations—rather than accompanying a head of state or attending a meeting of overseas mission chiefs—there is speculation that the visit aims to conduct intensive coordination amid a buildup of pending bilateral issues.

It is reported that Ambassador Kang has been closely monitoring the local atmosphere in Washington by meeting with high-ranking officials from the U.S. Congress and the administration right up until her departure.

"I understand that Ambassador Kang has been continuously meeting with high-level figures from both Congress and the administration until just before boarding her flight," the Foreign Ministry official said. "There are aspects of the actual atmosphere in Washington that are difficult to convey through reports alone, which she will explain in person."

The official added, "Conversely, Ambassador Kang will also be briefed on the progress of South Korea's investments in the U.S., security consultations, and domestic issues primarily handled by other ministries, such as the Coupang matter. You can view this as a two-way consultation where they exchange situations and positions."

Ambassador Kang is expected to meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Presidential National Security Office to discuss response strategies regarding the U.S. government and political circles repeatedly raising issues concerning the South Korean government's investigation and regulation of Coupang.

Recently, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee released a report claiming that the South Korean government is discriminatorily targeting the U.S. company Coupang, and a White House official has also made remarks to the effect that the Lee Jae-myung administration is specifically targeting Coupang.

In April, 54 members of a group of Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Ambassador Kang requesting an end to discriminatory regulations against U.S. companies operating in South Korea.

While the government has conveyed to the U.S. administration and Congress that it is handling the matter fairly in accordance with domestic laws and procedures, the continued raising of these issues has increased the need to re-examine communication strategies with the U.S.

It is understood that Ambassador Kang also returned home for personal reasons in April and met with Minister Cho Hyun to discuss South Korea-U.S. issues, and at that time, the potential impact of the Coupang issue on security consultations was also mentioned as a key topic.

U.S. demands for increased investment in the country are also expected to be a major subject of discussion.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick recently made public remarks expressing a desire to bring Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to the U.S. to build production facilities, which has raised the possibility that the U.S. administration may demand additional investments within the U.S. rather than in South Korea.

Furthermore, as there has been consistent speculation that the announcement of South Korea's first major investment project in the U.S. is imminent, it is also being suggested that Ambassador Kang's return may be related to final coordination.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Ambassador Kang's return will serve as an opportunity to deepen communication and cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. and to explore ways to develop bilateral relations in the future."

(Photo: Joint Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.