E-commerce giant Coupang has been subject to "targeted suppression" by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's administration, a White House official said on Thursday, expressing concern about what Washington said was a "discriminatory" crackdown on the U.S.-listed company.
The official made the remarks in response to a request for comment from Yonhap News Agency on the interim staff report released this week by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The report accuses South Korea of "discriminatory strikes" against Coupang and other U.S. companies.
The 35-page committee report was released following an investigation by South Korean authorities into Coupang's massive personal data breach. The incident is believed to have affected more than 33 million users, accounting for approximately 68% of South Korea's total population.
"This administration is deeply concerned about the South Korean government's discriminatory targeting of U.S. technology companies," a White House official said. "No matter how you look at it, Coupang has been targeted and suppressed by the Lee Jae-myung administration. The Trump administration will not tolerate unfair trade practices, including restrictions on market access to U.S. digital services."
Coupang's South Korean operations contribute more than 90% of the company's total revenue, where it has been under intense public criticism and scrutiny since the customer data breach came to light last November.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee report comes as concerns remain that Coupang's massive lobbying campaign in the U.S. capital could further inflame diplomatic tensions over South Korea's legal proceedings over the data breach.
A Lobbying Disclosure Act report on the U.S. Senate website shows that Coupang has spent more than $1 million on lobbying activities in the United States since the data breach scandal broke out in November, including with the White House and Congress.
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