National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik bangs a gavel at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik condemned U.S. Republicans’ claim that Korea is discriminating against e-commerce giant Coupang, calling it “interference in domestic affairs.”
His remarks followed a letter sent by 54 U.S. lawmakers in the Republican Study Committee to Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, in which they claimed Korea is taking discriminatory and unfair actions against the U.S.-based company that is under police investigation and government scrutiny for a massive customer data leak last year.
“Coupang is under multiple allegations, such as a massive data breach and algorithm rigging. If U.S. Republicans say it is a discriminatory measure against U.S. firms, it means they do not respect Korean laws," Woo said on an SBS radio show Friday.
"This is an apparent intervention in domestic affairs and should not happen ... If Korean companies did the same things [data leak and algorithm rigging] in the U.S., would the U.S. let it go?" he said. "I urge Republicans not to meddle in Korea’s legal affairs.”
Woo also lashed out at Coupang, saying that it has to abide by Korean laws and follow government policies if it does business and earns profits here. "It seems the company wants to make money in Korea as it pleases, but ignore Korean sentiment. Coupang should show respect to Koreans," he said.
In the letter, the Republican lawmakers urged Korea to stop targeting American companies, with Coupang cited alongside major tech companies.
In response to the move, Seoul’s foreign ministry released astatementThursday rejecting the U.S. lawmakers’ claim. "Measures and investigations related to Coupang are being carried out in accordance with our domestic laws and due process and are being applied in a nondiscriminatory manner regardless of nationality," the ministry said. It added that Seoul is faithfully upholding a commitment in the Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet that U.S. companies will not face discriminatory barriers in laws and policies concerning digital services.
It is not known whether Kang or the ministry has replied to the letter.
Coupang, which is headquartered inSeattlebut carries out the vast majority of its business in Korea, is under investigation in relation to the leak of personal information related to about 33.7 million member accounts.
Source: Korea Times News
