A report released by Republican members of the US House Judiciary Committee has accused the South Korean government of discriminating against Coupang, the New York-listed e-commerce company that operates primarily in Korea, touching off a chorus of official rebuttals in Seoul.
The report, published on July 1 (local time), alleged that Korea's government used a large-scale personal data breach at Coupang as a pretext to target an American-owned firm, and that a joint National Assembly hearing held on December 30 last year was openly hostile and discriminatory. The document also claimed that Harold Rogers, Coupang's chief executive and an American citizen, has faced continuing legal pressure including the threat of perjury charges and a travel ban.
The Democratic Party (the ruling party in the National Assembly) responded on July 4 through spokeswoman Jang Yun-mi, who said the report 'severely distorts' the Korean government's position by relying entirely on Coupang's unverified, one-sided claims. Jang said the government does not discriminate against any company on the basis of nationality, and called on Coupang to stop deflecting blame onto the state. She added that Coupang should not play victim while staying silent about the alleged leak of personal data belonging to some 33.79 million Korean citizens.
The National Assembly Secretariat issued its own statement on July 3, defending the December hearing as lawful. It said the joint committee session was convened under Article 63 of the National Assembly Act to examine overlapping matters, including data protection, consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and labor conditions. Procedures such as witness oaths, warnings about false testimony, and time limits were applied uniformly to all witnesses, the Secretariat said, and were not directed at any particular company or individual. It described the report's reading of isolated exchanges as failing to reflect the full context of the proceedings.
Presidential National Security Adviser Wi Seong-lak told a briefing on July 3, according to Nocut News, that the investigation into Coupang followed domestic law and due process without discrimination, and that Korea does not target companies for investigation based on their nationality.
The dispute sits at an awkward intersection of trade friction and data-protection enforcement. Coupang has not publicly commented on the Korean government's latest responses. The Korean government said it is in close communication with US authorities and hopes the matter will be resolved on the basis of the facts.