Cheong Wa Dae is seen from the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in central Seoul, in this December 2025 photo. Korea Times file
Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday denied a claim that U.S. companies were being discriminated against in Korea over network usage fees after the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) raised grievances over the issue.
The USTR earlier said in a post on X that Korea is the only country in the world to impose network usage fees on internet traffic transmission as it listed a series of "trade barriers" that American exporters face.
"Claims of U.S. companies being discriminated against over network usage fees and platform regulations are contrary to the facts," a Cheong Wa Dae official said, noting that no laws have been passed to enforce network usage fees.
The official said Seoul stands by with its pledge not to discriminate against U.S. digital companies as outlined by a joint fact sheet of a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump last November.
Korean internet service providers have argued for online content providers, such as Netflix and YouTube, to pay network usage fees when creating large volumes of traffic.
Source: Korea Times News
