South Korea Defends Coupang Probe From US Bias Claims

South Korea's government defended its investigation into e-commerce giant Coupang on Thursday, rejecting accusations from U.S. lawmakers that the probe amounts to discriminatory treatment of American companies. The response came amid growing tensions between the longtime allies over regulatory actions following a major data breach at the U.S.-listed firm, which operates South Korea's largest online shopping platform.

The dispute escalated after 54 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter on Tuesday to South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha. The lawmakers, led by members of the Republican Study Committee, urged Seoul to halt what they described as a "targeted assault" on American businesses, including Coupang, Apple, Google, and Meta. They claimed the South Korean government had used a "low-sensitivity data leak" as a pretext for widespread actions against Coupang, such as raids, fines, tax audits, and pressure on public pension funds to divest holdings in the company. "The systematic targeting of American companies... is particularly concerning because these businesses serve as an important economic bridge between our two...