Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State, speaks in a prerecorded video at the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea's (AMCHAM) annual Doing Business in Korea seminar in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of AMCHAM
The United States is ramping up pressure on Korea to stop using Chinese technologies and remove regulations deemed unfavorable to American companies, with a senior U.S. official saying Tuesday that Seoul has to make a choice in the face of adversaries undermining the alliance.
In a prerecorded video at the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea’s (AMCHAM) annual Doing Business in Korea seminar in Seoul, Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of State, warned of China’s moves to drive a wedge between Korea and the U.S., calling the world’s second-largest economy “a regional adversary.”
“The Republic of Korea has a choice to make,” he said. “I am confident it will continue to choose trusted partners, transparent systems and technologies that respect privacy, security and the rule of law.”
Highlighting the Technology Prosperity Deal signed at the Korea-U.S. summit last October, the senior diplomat indicated Washington’s intent to leverage the partnership to curb Beijing’s attempts to use its technologies to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The dangers of relying on Chinese models and the Chinese technology stack are real,” DeSombre said. “Systems built on untrusted infrastructure create vulnerabilities that can be exploited for surveillance, coercion and control.”
He emphasized the need for export controls, investment screening mechanisms and supply chain initiatives, describing them as “essential tools” to protect shared prosperity and values, not protectionist measures.
American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman James Kim, front row center, poses with participants in the 2026 Doing Business in Korea seminar in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
The AMCHAM seminar was held mainly to discuss how Korea’s regulatory framework can evolve to support the development of a globally competitive and trusted artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Citing the operations of Anthropic, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services in Korea, DeSombre urged the Korean government to meet demands for regulatory clarity, fair market access and a level playing field if it wants to continue attracting investments from U.S. tech firms.
Source: Korea Times News
