By Heejin Kim
SEOUL, April 23 (Reuters) – South Korea’s government said on Thursday it would ensure no discrimination against U.S. tech companies, including e-commerce firm Coupang, following a letter from U.S. lawmakers calling for an end to unfair targeting of American businesses.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Seoul was implementing measures to ensure U.S. digital companies did not face discriminatory measures or unnecessary barriers.
The assurance was included in a U.S.-South Korea joint fact sheet signed in November under a trade deal between the two countries, the ministry said.
The response came after a letter was sent this week by some U.S. lawmakers to South Korean Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha, demanding an immediate end to “discriminatory regulatory actions” against American businesses operating in South Korea.
Led by the Republican Study Committee (RSC) member Michael Baumgartner, the lawmakers said: “systematic targeting of American companies such as Apple, Google, Meta, and Coupang is particularly concerning.”
South Korea “recently leveraged a low-sensitivity data leak in November 2025 as a pretext to launch a whole-of-government assault on Coupang,” they said, citing a series of actions including threats to revoke its business licences and pressuring pension funds to divest its shares in the holding company.
“We are committed to ensuring that your government ceases its persecution of Coupang and other American companies operating in South Korea,” the letter said.
The Korean Foreign Ministry said the ongoing probe into Coupang’s data breach was proceeding under domestic law and procedures, regardless of the nationality of the company.
Coupang Korea, operated by U.S.-listed Coupang Inc., faced a public and lawmaker backlash in South Korea over a data breach that affected more than 30 million customers.
On Wednesday, the ministry said the issues regarding Coupang should not be linked to ongoing security negotiations with Washington, which include South Korea’s plan to build nuclear-powered submarines.
(Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)
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