 |
| ▲ South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo (L) shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) in Washington on Jan. 13, 2026, in this photo provided by Yeo's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ Harold Rogers (R), interim chief of e-commerce giant Coupang Corp., speaks during a plenary session of the National Assembly in Seoul, in this file photo from Dec. 30, 2025, to inspect the online retailer over its massive data leak that affected nearly two-thirds of South Korea's population. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) trade minister-US lawmakers
(LEAD) Trade minister urges U.S. not to escalate Coupang case into trade dispute
(ATTN: RECASTS headline)
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo has met with U.S. lawmakers and officials to dispel concerns over South Korea's ongoing investigation into a massive data breach at Coupang Inc., warning against the issue evolving into a trade row between the two countries, Yeo's office said Thursday.
Yeo traveled to Washington this week to meet with a number of U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Todd Young (R-IN), as well as Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).
Yeo also held meetings with officials from U.S. think tanks and business associations, including the Coalition of Services Industries, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
Yeo's trip to the U.S. came as concerns burst out from Washington over Korea's recent push for digital regulations, including the recently revised network act, and scrutiny into Coupang's data leak incident.
Earlier this week, Smith, chair of the trade subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representative's Ways and Means Committee, claimed Korean regulators appear to be "aggressively" targeting U.S. technology firms, including Coupang, through "discriminatory" actions.
To dispel such concerns, Yeo told U.S. lawmakers that Korean authorities are investigating the Coupang case in accordance with related laws, and it is inappropriate to interpret the matter as a trade issue between Seoul and Washington, the ministry said.
Coupang, which suffered a leak of personal information from about 34 million customers late last year, is a U.S.-listed firm founded by Korean American Kim Bom-suk, or Bom Kim. The company generates about 90 percent of its sales in Korea.
Meanwhile, Yeo also met with the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to hold follow-up discussions on non-tariff barrier issues included in the two countries' trade deal.
Yeo also told Greer that Korea must not face unfavorable treatment compared with other countries in relation to the U.S. Supreme Court's planned ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's administration's reciprocal tariffs on America's trading partners, emphasizing that Korea is one of the few countries that have reached a trade agreement with the U.S.
"The U.S. has been showing high expectations for trade and investment cooperation with Korea following the bilateral tariff deal, but we need to carefully manage risk factors, such as digital trade issues and the anticipated tariff ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court," Yeo said in a press release.
"We will continue our efforts to expand outreach to the U.S. as it is important to accurately explain and communicate the intentions and background of our policies to the U.S. government, Congress and industries."
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
