White House Warns South Korea Over "Targeting" U.S. Firms, Defends Coupang

The White House has claimed that "by any reasonable standard, the Lee Jae-myung administration is targeting Coupang," in relation to the recent massive data breach incident involving the company.

In a written response to media inquiries, the White House stated, "The Trump administration is deeply concerned by the South Korean government’s discriminatory targeting of U.S. technology companies," and warned that it "will not tolerate unfair trade practices that restrict market access for U.S. digital services."

This marks the first time the White House has issued an explicit statement directly addressing the situation involving Coupang.

The White House's position appears to effectively endorse the findings of a U.S. House Judiciary Committee report, which alleges that the South Korean government is unfairly discriminating against U.S. companies.

The day before, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee released a 35-page report pointing out that the South Korean government is discriminating against Coupang.

The House Judiciary Committee claimed that "Coupang has been a persistent target of the South Korean government," adding that the government has "relentlessly investigated Coupang, made unreasonable demands on regulators, and even threatened to shut down its business."

The committee further argued that this has not only harmed U.S. companies and citizens but that such discrimination is a direct violation of trade agreements signed with the United States.

The report has sparked controversy over its bias, as it largely reflects only the one-sided claims made by Coupang.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately expressed strong regret, stating that the report unilaterally reflects only Coupang's claims and is inconsistent with the facts, noting that the positions and facts previously explained by the South Korean government to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee were not included.

The National Intelligence Service also previously issued a statement refuting the claims made by Coupang in the report, calling them "clearly false."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Choi Kang-san | Graphics by Jung Yu-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.