NIS Denies Claims in U.S. House Report, Accuses Coupang of Spreading Falsehoods

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that a report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee regarding Coupang contains information that is "factually incorrect," and expressed regret over what it called "unilateral and false claims" made by the company.

In a statement sent to the media today (July 2), the NIS emphasized, "Since the massive personal data breach at Coupang, we have been publicly refuting false claims and presenting our position based on facts. We reiterate that we have never issued any orders, commands, or coercion to Coupang regarding the 'accident investigation'."

The NIS explained, "Based on Article 4 of the National Intelligence Service Act, we recognized the large-scale data breach by a foreign entity as a threat to national security and engaged in working-level consultations with Coupang to collect relevant information and prevent the spread of damage."

Contrary to Coupang's claim that the NIS issued directives throughout the consultation process, the agency maintains that it merely held discussions to share necessary information regarding the massive personal data leak in accordance with its official duties.

The NIS added, "The materials provided by Coupang during this process were merely a portion of the data that the company had already submitted to the police."

The agency further stated, "When Coupang inquired with the NIS on December 6 (last year), expressing a desire to 'contact the leaker directly,' we emphasized multiple times that the final decision should be made by Coupang."

Furthermore, the NIS dismissed claims that it had suggested Coupang hire a specific cybersecurity firm for data analysis.

The NIS explained, "Coupang had first requested a recommendation for a domestic firm, complaining that the response from a U.S. firm's analysis was slow, so we simply shared information at a general level."

Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also refuted the report's claims that the South Korean government discriminates against U.S. companies like Coupang, stating that they do not align with the facts.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Park Il said during a regular briefing today, "We express our regret that the (U.S. House) Judiciary Committee report unilaterally reflects only the claims made by Coupang."

He explained, "We are expressing our regret that our position and the factual details we have explained to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee were not reflected at all in the report."

The 35-page report contains allegations that the South Korean government excessively discriminates against U.S.-owned companies, using high-level language directed at an allied government, 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 its readiness to hear the South Korean government's position as well.

However, diplomatic circles are reportedly concerned, noting that the current U.S. Congress holds a harder-line stance than any previous assembly regarding the treatment of U.S. companies operating abroad, making the direction of the legislative body quite clear.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.