South Korea's ruling Democratic Party plans to send a letter of protest to the U.S. government over its demand that legal immunity for Coupang Chairman Bom Kim be included as a condition in bilateral security negotiations.
According to political sources on the 27th, the Democratic Party, led by Floor Deputy Leader Park Hong-bae, has drafted the protest letter and plans to deliver it to the U.S. Embassy on the morning of the following day. An estimated 60 to 70 lawmakers have signed the letter. "The number of lawmakers expressing intent to join has been growing since word of the letter spread, so we are still collecting signatures," a Democratic Party official said. "Given that this is a bipartisan issue, lawmakers from other parties are also joining in."
Earlier, the U.S. government conveyed that it would be difficult to operate the high-level Korea-U.S. channel for discussing security issues unless the legal safety of Coupang Chairman Bom Kim was guaranteed. By linking the handling of a criminal suspect to unrelated matters to be discussed between the two countries' leaders, the Democratic Party is registering its protest at the party level.
In particular, the Democratic Party reportedly reached a consensus on the need for a legislative response, given that 54 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha urging South Korea to halt what they called discriminatory regulations against American companies including Coupang. The aim is to prevent setting a precedent in which a multinational corporation evades domestic judicial proceedings through diplomatic pressure.
However, the protest letter was reportedly prepared without prior coordination with the presidential office. "So far, Democratic Party lawmakers have been participating voluntarily," a party official said. "Our judgment is that the Korean legislature cannot remain silent while the U.S. Congress is making its voice heard."