Following the US House of Representatives, the White House has now criticized the Korean government over the Coupang incident, which became controversial due to a massive leak of personal data. On Wednesday, a White House official said in relation to the Coupang report released by the federal House the previous day that "the Donald Trump administration is deeply concerned about the situation in which the Korean government discriminatorily targets US technology companies." The official added, "We will not tolerate unfair trade practices, including restrictions on US companies' access to the digital services market." In response, the Presidential Office rebutted, "We do not treat corporate activities discriminatorily based on nationality, nor do we target and investigate anyone." The National Intelligence Service (NIS) pointed out regarding the recent US Congressional report that "Coupang's claim that the series of processes, including securing information technology (IT) equipment, was carried out under the NIS's instructions and orders is a clear falsehood."
It is unjust for the US White House and Congress to attack the Korean government without grounds over the Coupang incident. This is particularly so given that they have ignored the fact that the personal data of 37 million people was leaked, while accepting at face value the one-sided claims of Coupang, which has wielded formidable lobbying power. However, attention must be paid to the background of the attack on the Korean government coming at a time when the Trump administration is intensifying its trade offensive by applying a 10% temporary tariff after the Supreme Court ruled in February this year that the 25% reciprocal tariffs were illegal. This is a grave situation in which the possibility cannot be ruled out that, using the Coupang incident as a pretext, the US could impose high retaliatory tariffs on Korea's key export items or erect non-tariff barriers.
The government must continue sophisticated and cool-headed diplomatic efforts centered on the national interest. No matter how far Coupang's post-incident measures and the US's siding with the company deviate from common sense, it is better to refrain from an emotional counterattack. In particular, there is a need to explain in detail based on facts so that the US's one-sided claim that "Coupang is being discriminated against" can no longer be made, and to emphasize the fact that the US also imposes large fines on major platforms and Big Tech companies that violate personal data protection regulations. Under no circumstances should the Coupang incident be allowed to become a spark for Korea-US trade friction. Now is the time to prepare thorough measures to prevent additional tariffs from being imposed, using leverage such as 350 billion dollars in investment in the US, shipbuilding cooperation, and strengthening of the semiconductor supply chain.
