South Korea and U.S. Manage Coupang Diplomatic Dispute

South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha announced Wednesday that Seoul and Washington are working to stably manage a diplomatic dispute involving Coupang Inc. The friction stems from a U.S. House Judiciary Committee report and White House comments characterizing South Korean regulatory probes into a massive Coupang data leak as discriminatory attacks. The House report explicitly claimed the company has been a consistent target of President Lee Jae Myung's administration.

South Korea's foreign ministry expressed regret over the report, describing it as one-sided. While managing this tension, Ambassador Kang is also coordinating with the U.S. to mitigate the effects of Section 301 trade investigations led by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. These investigations, which target forced labor and unfair trade practices, could result in 12.5 percent tariffs on South Korea and other nations.