90 South Korean lawmakers protest US 'interference' in Coupang probe

A strong coalition of 90 lawmakers from South Korea's Democratic, New Alternative, Progressive, and Social Democratic parties has united to condemn what they perceive as undue pressure from US politicians concerning the investigation into the e-commerce giant Coupang. In a strongly worded statement and a formal letter of protest delivered to the US Embassy in Seoul, these representatives assert that the actions by certain US Republican lawmakers constitute a blatant infringement on South Korea's judicial sovereignty.

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The letter lists Apple, Coupang, Google, and Meta as victim companies facing discrimination, but the regulations these companies received in Korea were not discrimination but equal application of the law for violations.

The core of the dispute lies in a letter sent by 54 members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) in the US House of Representatives to the South Korean ambassador in Washington. This letter reportedly urged South Korea to cease what it termed "discriminatory regulations" against American companies operating in the country, specifically mentioning Apple, Coupang, Google, and Meta. The South Korean lawmakers argue that the regulations in question were not discriminatory but rather a necessary application of law to address violations, including personal information leaks.

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The claims of the Republican lawmakers who sent the letter conclude with the logic that American companies should be subject to looser standards abroad than in their own country. This violates the rule of law, sovereign equality, and the spirit of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Rep. Han Jeong-ae, the policy chief of the Democratic Party, articulated the group's stance, stating that the US Republican lawmakers' claims imply that American companies should be subject to less stringent standards abroad than they are in the US. This, she argued, fundamentally contradicts the principles of the rule of law, sovereign equality, and the spirit of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The lawmakers emphasized that investigating and prosecuting companies for legal violations is a legitimate exercise of a sovereign nation's rights, and any attempt to interfere is a serious breach of mutual trust and respect within the alliance.

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The South Korean government's investigation and prosecution of companies that violate the law to protect the personal information of its citizens is the legitimate right of a sovereign nation.