(2nd LD) S. Korea expresses regret over U.S. House report alleging discriminatory treatment of Coupang

(ATTN: ADDS extra information in paras 5-9)
By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) — The overseas ministry on Thursday expressed remorse over a U.S. Home Judiciary Committee report that accused Seoul of finishing up “discriminatory assaults” towards e-commerce big Coupang Inc. and different American corporations.

In an interim employees report launched Wednesday (U.S. time), the committee stated Coupang has been a “constant goal” of the Seoul authorities, claiming South Korea has subjected U.S.-owned corporations to “coercive investigations, overly burdensome regulatory necessities and extreme fines and penalties” in favor of Korean corporations.

“We specific remorse that the report seems to replicate solely Coupang’s claims in a one-sided method,” ministry spokesperson Park Il stated in a press briefing, noting that the report fails to replicate the Seoul authorities’s place and the factual info it has supplied to the committee.

“Investigations and regulatory measures regarding Coupang have been carried out lawfully beneath South Korean regulation and have been carried out in a good and non-discriminatory method, no matter nationality,” Park added.

The Nationwide Intelligence Service (NIS) additionally disputed the e-commerce big’s claims within the report, calling them “outright falsehoods.”

In an announcement launched within the afternoon, the company stated the report was riddled with misinformation.

The NIS stated it labored with Coupang to “collect related info and stop additional harm” beneath Article 4 of the Nationwide Intelligence Service Act, which classifies a large-scale knowledge leak involving overseas nationals as a nationwide safety matter.

On Coupang’s declare that the NIS had steered the general route of the consultations, the company stated its involvement was “merely aimed toward sharing needed info.”

It additionally rejected the corporate’s declare that it had overseen the retrieval of a laptop computer allegedly used within the hacking, saying it merely helped make sure the system — which reportedly held private knowledge of Korean nationals — was recovered safely.

Coupang has confronted public criticism and investigations over an enormous knowledge leak in South Korea that’s believed to have affected greater than 33 million customers.

The strongly worded report has renewed considerations that the Coupang situation might have an effect on broader features of the Korea-U.S. alliance.

Officers in Seoul have acknowledged that the problem has contributed, not less than partly, to delays in bilateral safety consultations outlined within the Korea-U.S. joint reality sheet launched following the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in October.

The consultations, which deal with Seoul’s push to amass a nuclear-powered submarine, and safe capabilities for civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear gasoline reprocessing, have been held solely final month after they have been initially anticipated to start earlier this 12 months.

“The federal government will proceed consultations with the U.S. aspect to make sure that points associated to Coupang would not have a unfavourable influence on safety discussions between the 2 nations,” Park stated.

Officers stated extra stories or congressional hearings might comply with, on condition that the doc is an interim employees report akin to a preliminary report, including that the federal government will proceed outreach efforts to elucidate Seoul’s place on the problem.

Seoul and Washington are additionally working to carry a second spherical of safety consultations later this month, the officers stated.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)