Ruling bloc’s 80 lawmakers to send joint letter on US defense of Coupang
Over 80 ruling bloc lawmakers in South Korea plan to send a joint letter to the U.S. government protesting its defense of Coupang, arguing it infringes on South Korea's judicial sovereignty amid a data breach investigation. The letter follows reported U.S. complaints over the treatment of the U.S.-listed company and demands for guarantees on the safety of Coupang's chairman. Lawmakers claim such actions could harm South Korea's labor rights and fair economic order. The letter will be delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul after a press conference at the National Assembly.
- ▪More than 80 lawmakers from the Democratic Party, Rebuilding Korea Party, and Jinbo Party are co-signing the letter opposing U.S. intervention in South Korea's Coupang investigation.
- ▪The letter responds to reported U.S. demands that Seoul guarantee the personal safety of Coupang Chairman Kim Bom-suk, which South Korean lawmakers view as an infringement on judicial sovereignty.
- ▪The U.S. government reportedly raised concerns about the treatment of Coupang, a U.S.-listed firm, during a South Korean probe into a data breach affecting over 33 million users.
- ▪Over 50 U.S. Republican lawmakers previously sent a letter to South Korea's ambassador urging an end to what they called a 'targeted assault' on American companies.
- ▪South Korean lawmakers warn that the dispute could extend beyond diplomacy and negatively impact the country's labor rights and economic fairness.
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Flags raised ahead of Coupang’s IPO in front of the New York Stock Exchange building, March 11, 2021. Yonhap More than 80 lawmakers of the ruling bloc plan to send a joint letter to the U.S. government protesting its defense of e-commerce giant Coupang, arguing it constitutes an infringement on South Korea's judicial sovereignty, political sources said Monday.The envisioned letter, which has reportedly been co-signed by 83 lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the minor Rebuilding Korea Party and Jinbo Party, will be delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday, following a press conference at the National Assembly.The missive will come in response to Washington's reported complaints against Seoul over what some in the U.S. view as unfair treatment of Coupang, a U.S.-listed firm, amid a probe here into a massive breach of the personal information of more than 33 million of its customers.The plan for the letter was revealed in a request DP Reps. Kim Nam-geun, Park Hong-bae and others sent to fellow lawmakers to ask for their signatures.In the request, they argued the U.S. government recently demanded that Seoul guarantee the personal safety of Coupang Chairman Kim Bom-suk or risk a suspension of high-level bilateral consultations. They argued that the demand amounts to a "clear infringement on judicial sovereignty."Also, they cited a letter sent by more than 50 U.S. Republican lawmakers to South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha last week to urge an end to the "targeted assault" of American companies."There is a high risk this could go beyond a simple diplomatic rift or controversy over an infringement of sovereignty to have a negative impact on South Korea's labor rights and fair economic order," they said.
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