Key facts
- A White House official stated that Coupang is being "singled out" by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration.
- Washington expressed concern over what it called "discriminatory" targeting of the U.S.-listed firm.
- The comments followed a House Judiciary Committee report accusing South Korea of "discriminatory attacks" on Coupang and other U.S. businesses.
- South Korean authorities have been investigating Coupang's massive personal data leak, which affected over 33 million users.
- The Trump administration will not tolerate unfair trade practices that limit market access for U.S. digital services.
A White House official stated that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration is "singling out" e-commerce giant Coupang Inc., expressing concern over what Washington described as "discriminatory" targeting of the U.S.-listed firm. The official's remarks came in response to a House Judiciary Committee interim staff report accusing South Korea of "discriminatory attacks" on Coupang and other American-owned businesses.
The committee report followed South Korean authorities' investigations into Coupang's massive personal data leak, which is believed to have affected more than 33 million users, approximately 68 percent of the country's population. The official noted that the administration is deeply concerned with the Republic of Korea's government's discriminatory targeting of U.S. technology companies, adding that the Trump administration will not tolerate unfair trade practices, including those that limit market access for U.S. digital services.
Coupang, whose South Korean business accounts for over 90 percent of its total revenue, has faced significant public criticism and scrutiny in its home market following the disclosure of the customer data breach in November. The House Judiciary Committee report emerged amid ongoing concerns that Coupang's extensive lobbying efforts in Washington could further escalate diplomatic tensions related to South Korea's legal procedures concerning the data leak. Lobbying Disclosure Act reports indicated that Coupang had spent more than US$1 million on lobbying activities in the U.S. since November.