US House Judiciary GOP report: NIS pressured Coupang on China data retrieval, denied involvement

A preliminary investigative report released by Republicans on the US House Judiciary Committee alleges that South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) pressured Coupang employees concerning a data retrieval operation in China. The report claims the NIS denied its involvement after pressuring Coupang and subsequently sought to criminally prosecute the company's interim CEO, who is a US citizen.

The 35-page report, titled 'Blocking Competition: South Korea’s Discriminatory Attacks on US-Owned Companies,' was released by the majority staff under Republican committee chair Jim Jordan and subcommittee chair Scott Fitzgerald. It accuses South Korea of a long-standing history of economic discrimination against foreign companies, particularly US-owned ones. The report points to the Fair Trade Commission's use of investigations characterized by procedural unfairness, early morning raids, lengthy interrogations, and threats of criminal prosecution.

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Blocking Competition: South Korea’s Discriminatory Attacks on US-Owned Companies

Regarding Coupang, the report states the company has been a "persistent target" for years. It cites over 400 site inspections by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in the past year alone. Between 2022 and the first half of 2025, Coupang was reportedly fined 162.8 billion won ($140 million) by the Fair Trade Commission. The report also highlights a June 11 fine of over $410 million from the South Korean government related to a personal data leak, described as the largest fine ever imposed on a single company.

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send employees to Shanghai to take over

The report's most severe criticism focuses on the NIS's alleged involvement in the data leak incident and its subsequent change in stance. It claims that after a former Coupang employee handed over devices and statements to a Shanghai law firm on December 15, the NIS demanded that Coupang "send employees to Shanghai to take over" the materials, citing that "activities cannot be carried out in China." When Coupang expressed concerns about the risks and legal issues of dispatching employees to China, the NIS allegedly used a legal obligation under Article 5 of the NIS Act to pressure the company.

Following Coupang's retrieval of the devices and statements, the NIS reportedly received them in a location without CCTV surveillance in China and transported them to South Korea via diplomatic pouch. The report further alleges that the NIS directed Coupang to mobilize divers to find a discarded laptop belonging to the former employee. However, the NIS later denied having instructed Coupang, contradicting testimony from Coupang's interim CEO, Harold Rogers, during a congressional hearing. The NIS reportedly requested that Rogers be prosecuted for perjury.

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activities cannot be carried out in China