South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha, who has returned home temporarily for consultations on South Korea-U.S. relations, stated that the Coupang issue is "an issue that is lasting much longer than I had thought."

Ambassador Kang made the remarks while meeting with reporters upon entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building today (July 15). She added, "While managing that issue as it is, we are continuing consultations at various levels to make progress on the matters agreed upon by the two leaders in the joint fact sheet (from the South Korea-U.S. summit)."

When asked if the U.S. side had made any specific demands to the South Korean side, she replied, "There is nothing I can tell you at this moment," adding, "We are continuing our consultations."

The impact of the Coupang issue on South Korea-U.S. relations appears to be continuing, as the U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently released a report claiming that the South Korean government is discriminatorily attacking the U.S. company Coupang, and a White House official even remarked that "the Lee Jae-myung administration is targeting Coupang."

When asked if there is pressure from the U.S. side to accelerate South Korea's investment in the U.S., Ambassador Kang said, "Our Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the U.S. Department of Commerce are continuing their consultations."

She added, "Since we are trying to identify projects that meet commercial rationality, I think we need a bit more discussion."

Ambassador Kang returned home today under the instructions of Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and is scheduled to stay in South Korea until July 19 to continue consultations with relevant government ministries regarding South Korea-U.S. relations.

At the ministry building, she will hold a private meeting with Minister Cho to report on pending issues.

Ambassador Kang said, "The relationship between South Korea and the U.S. is so intricate that there are many issues," and added, "Since the sense of reality differs between those in Washington D.C. and those at the headquarters (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), I came here to listen to the thoughts of the headquarters and convey the sense of reality from the field."

It is expected that while in South Korea, Ambassador Kang will attend meetings related to pending issues in South Korea-U.S. relations presided over by the National Security Office of the Presidential Office, along with officials from relevant ministries, to share her views.

(Photo: Yonhap News)