US Committee Claims South Korean Bias Against Coupang

The US House Judiciary Committee released an interim report alleging that South Korean authorities have systematically discriminated against US‑based e‑commerce firm Coupang, a breach of the bilateral trade agreement. The report says more than ten Korean agencies opened dozens of unrelated investigations after a 2022 data breach that exposed up to 33.7 million accounts, issuing over 4,000 document requests and conducting at least 652 employee interviews. It also claims the National Intelligence Service forced Coupang to conduct a risky laptop‑recovery operation, sending an employee to China and hiring divers to retrieve a discarded laptop from a river; the NIS denies directing the effort. South Korea’s foreign ministry called the report one‑sided and said the allegations are untrue. Coupang expressed regret over the circumstances and said it seeks a constructive resolution to bolster US‑Korea trade and investment ties.