South Korea Denies US Claims of Discrimination Against Coupang

The Government of South Korea has rejected allegations from the United States that it systematically discriminated against the U.S.-listed e-commerce firm Coupang. The dispute follows a July 1 report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, which characterized the administration of President Lee Jae Myung as conducting a "whole-of-government assault" and a "harassment campaign" against the company using digital laws.

The tension stems from a June 2025 data breach. While Coupang claimed only 3,000 accounts were compromised, South Korean authorities assert a former employee accessed over 33 million accounts. Consequently, the Personal Information Protection Commission fined Coupang 625 billion won (approximately $410 million) in June 2026. Further conflict arose from testimony by interim CEO Harold Rogers, who claimed the South Korean National Intelligence Service compelled Coupang to conduct a covert operation to retrieve a laptop from a river in China—a claim Seoul denies, subsequently calling for perjury charges against Rogers.

White House officials stated the Trump administration will not tolerate unfair trade practices that limit market access for U.S. digital services. In response, South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and the National Assembly maintain that all investigations and parliamentary hearings were conducted on a non-discriminatory basis. South Korean officials are now attempting to isolate this trade dispute to prevent it from delaying critical bilateral security negotiations regarding uranium enrichment and nuclear-powered submarines.