Key Points
- South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with U.S. lawmakers to discuss the ongoing investigation into Coupang.
- U.S. officials have expressed concern that South Korea is unfairly targeting American tech firms.
- Yeo said the investigation is in accordance with South Korean law and is not a trade issue.
- South Korean also raised concerns about the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Trump’s tariffs.
South Korea’s trade minister, Yeo Han-koo, traveled to Washington this week to reassure that the country’s investigation into a massive data breach at the e-commerce giant Coupang is not a targeted attack on a U.S. company. Yeo met with several U.S. lawmakers and officials, warning them that the issue should not escalate into a trade dispute between the two allies.
Concerns have been growing in Washington over South Korea’s recent push for stricter digital regulations. The investigation into Coupang, which is a U.S.-listed company founded by a Korean American, has been a particular point of contention. One U.S. congressman recently claimed that Korean regulators are “aggressively” targeting American tech firms with “discriminatory” actions.
Yeo pushed back against this narrative, telling U.S. lawmakers that the Coupang investigation is being conducted in accordance with South Korean law and that it’s “inappropriate” to view it as a trade issue.
Coupang suffered a massive data leak late last year that affected about 34 million customers, and the South Korean government is under significant pressure to hold the company accountable.
The Coupang issue is not the only thing on the agenda. Yeo also met with the U.S. Trade Representative to discuss other trade issues. He raised concerns about the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on President Trump’s global tariffs, arguing that South Korea should not be treated unfavorably, given that it is one of the few countries with a formal trade agreement with the U.S.
“We need to manage risk factors carefully,” Yeo said in a press release. “It is important to accurately explain and communicate the intentions and background of our policies to the U.S. government, Congress, and industries.”
