SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Thursday disputed a U.S. congressional report accusing Seoul of discriminating against Coupang, a U.S.-listed electronic commerce giant that was hit with a record 625 billion won ($403 million) fine in June over a massive data breach affecting millions of South Korean customers.South Korea Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il expressed regret over Wednesday’s report by the House Judiciary Committee, saying it reflected “only Coupang’s unilateral claims” and failed to include Seoul’s position. South Korean authorities’ investigation into Coupang and the measures taken against the company were carried out under domestic law, he said, denying Seoul had subjected Coupang to discrimination or unfair regulation.The U.S. committee’s 35-page report accused South Korea’s antitrust authorities of using “coercive investigation tactics” and waging a “harassment campaign” against Coupang and argued the actions highlight escalating discrimination against American-owned businesses.
“Our handling of the Coupang case has focused on handling the personal data breach and protecting consumers, and our investigation into the company and the related measures have been carried out lawfully and without discrimination under relevant domestic laws,” Park said.
