South Korea trade chief tells US officials, lawmakers Coupang probe is not 'trade issue'

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - South Korea’s trade minister Yeo Han-koo has told U.S. officials and lawmakers that a domestic probe into e-commerce firm Coupang should not be interpreted as a diplomatic or trade issue, officials here said on Thursday.

Yeo made the remarks during a visit to Washington from Jan. 11 to 14, where he held outreach meetings with U.S. lawmakers, government officials and industry representatives, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

In a series of meetings and roundtables with U.S. senators and representatives, trade associations, think tanks and business officials, Yeo focused on addressing U.S. concerns over South Korea’s digital legislation, which has recently drawn attention in Washington.

He warned against portraying the Coupang issue as a “crackdown on a U.S. company,” saying it would be inappropriate to broadly interpret the matter as a diplomatic or trade dispute, the ministry said.

South Korean authorities are investigating e-commerce giant Coupang over the handling of a large-scale personal data breach and related business practices, a case that has drawn public attention and scrutiny from U.S. policymakers. South Korean authorities are examining how the breach occurred and whether Coupang, listed in the U.S., complied with reporting and protection obligations under the Korean law.

Seoul has stressed that the probe is a domestic regulatory matter aimed at protecting consumers and should not be viewed as a trade or diplomatic dispute.

Yeo also met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss the status of implementing bilateral non-tariff commitments outlined in a joint fact sheet released after a South Korea-U.S. summit in November.

With a ruling pending on whether reciprocal tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration are unlawful, Yeo told U.S. officials that South Korea — which reached a tariff agreement with Washington — should not be treated unfavorably compared with other countries, the ministry said.

Yeo also met Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to review follow-up steps after tariff negotiations and agreed to strengthen investment cooperation in key industries, including shipbuilding.

“Since the tariff negotiation agreement, expectations in the United States for bilateral trade and investment cooperation have generally been high, but risk factors such as digital trade issues and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling needs to be carefully managed,” a ministry official said.

The official added it is important to clearly explain South Korea’s policy intentions and background to the U.S. administration, Congress and industry.