Cheong Wa Dae refutes U.S. House committee report alleging discrimination against Coupang

Lead

South Korea's presidential office on Friday rejected as untrue a recent U.S. House committee report alleging that Seoul engaged in "discriminatory" treatment of the e-commerce company Coupang. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the government does not discriminate against companies based on nationality and does not conduct targeted investigations.

Coverage Comparison

The report, released earlier this week by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, accused South Korea of launching "discriminatory attacks" on Coupang Inc. in connection with a probe into a massive customer data leak at the South Korean affiliate of the U.S.-listed company. The committee described Coupang as a "consistent target" of the Seoul government and alleged "economic discrimination against foreign companies."

During a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae, Wi said the report's assertions were "far from the facts." "(South Korea) neither discriminates against companies, (their business) activities based on their nationality nor conducts investigations targeting anybody," he said, adding that the probe into Coupang is being carried out "without discrimination" in accordance with due process under domestic law.

Yonhap News Agency's coverage of the story—from its two reports—highlights the presidential office's defensive response. Both reports, while providing similar factual accounts, include a particular emphasis on Wi's rebuttal of the "discriminatory" label. The tone in both is formal and defensive, using direct quotes from officials to underscore the government's position.

The reports also note that the National Assembly issued a statement expressing regret over the report, saying the U.S. assessment was based on a limited set of facts. The foreign ministry similarly expressed regret and said it would continue consultations with the U.S. to prevent the issue from affecting the broader Korea–U.S. alliance.

Key Claims

• Presidential office response: National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac rejected the report's allegations as "far from the facts," stating that South Korea neither discriminates against companies based on nationality nor conducts targeted investigations.

• Coupang's acknowledgment: Wi noted that Coupang itself had acknowledged the data leak, which affected more than 33 million user accounts. He added that U.S. citizens residing in South Korea could also have been affected.

• Investigation due process: Wi asserted that the probe into Coupang is being carried out "without discrimination" and in accordance with due process under domestic law.

• Parliament's statement: The National Assembly expressed regret over the report, saying the U.S. assessment was based on only a limited set of facts.

• Foreign ministry's response: The foreign ministry also expressed regret and said it would continue consultations with the U.S. to prevent the issue from affecting broader bilateral ties.