Kang Kyung-wha, South Korea's ambassador to the United States, said of the Coupang issue that "a consensus has formed between the two governments to manage it stably so that it does not become a burden on Korea-U.S. relations."
"On the Coupang issue, we will clearly and consistently explain our government's position through continued consultations with the U.S. side," Kang said at a briefing with Korean correspondents held at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C. on the 8th.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently claimed in an interim investigation report that the Korean government has discriminatorily attacked American-owned companies, including Coupang. A White House official subsequently told Korean media in response to a related inquiry that "the Lee Jae-myung administration is singling out Coupang," adding that "the Trump administration will not tolerate unfair trade practices, including restrictions on market access for American digital services."
In response, the Korean government has reportedly determined that the House Judiciary Committee report was drafted by Republican staffers, with Democratic aides not involved in the drafting process at all. As for the White House official's remarks, the government was also somewhat surprised, but it is understood that the White House National Security Council (NSC) reaffirmed the intent to "manage" the Coupang issue and pending Korea-U.S. matters. In addition, the Korean government agencies mentioned in the House Judiciary Committee report are preparing rebuttals to the report's contents, which the government plans to compile and deliver to the committee once completed.
Regarding consultations on security matters such as nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear energy, the government assesses that both Korea and the United States agree on producing results within the year. On Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation, discussions did not take place during last month's visit to Korea by Allison Hooker, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and others, due to circumstances on the American side. However, the government expects discussions to accelerate through a working group, with concrete progress anticipated at key junctures, particularly the opening ceremony of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center and discussions on Korea-U.S. strategic investment projects.
On the Trump administration's Section 301 tariff investigation under the Trade Act, Kang said, "We are stressing that the balance of interests between the two countries must be maintained in accordance with the existing Korea-U.S. tariff agreement, and the U.S. side has also been expressing its intent to abide by the Korea-U.S. tariff agreement."
