hankyoreh

Harold Rogers, the interim CEO of Coupang Corp., the Korean subsidiary of US-based Coupang Inc., speaks at a joint hearing before the National Assembly on Jan. 30, 2026. (Yonhap)

Alleging that the Korean government’s restrictions on e-commerce giant Coupang are meant to “advantage domestic Korean competitors,” the US House Judiciary Committee has indicated its intent to investigate Korea’s treatment of Coupang with the aim of creating legislation to stop “discriminatory” treatment of American businesses. 
 
“Foreign governments are targeting innovative American companies. We’ve seen it Europe and now we’re seeing it in South Korea with the way in which they are punishing Coupang to advantage domestic Korean competitors,” a spokesperson for the committee told the Hankyoreh on Thursday in response to a request for comment South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok’s claim that the committee’s subpoena of Coupang’s interim CEO, Harold Rogers, was based on distorted facts. 

The statement reflects a belief that Korea’s scrutiny of Coupang — which recently experienced a data leak affecting over 30 million users — constitutes discrimination against an American corporation carried out to protect local competitors. 

While Coupang is incorporated in the US, it generates most of its revenue in Korea.  
 
The Judiciary Committee made clear that this investigation could lead to legislative action. 

“Congress must investigate these allegations to inform legislation that will stop this discriminatory enforcement and protect American interests,” the spokesperson stressed. 
 
Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the chairperson of the Judiciary Committee, and Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), who leads a key subcommittee, issued a subpoena for Rogers on Feb. 5, ordering him to appear for a deposition on Feb. 23.
 
Depositions are closed-door meetings in which committee staff lawyers can question people closely about specific facts, unlike public hearings, where committee members themselves do the questioning. They sometimes serve as a preliminary inquiry ahead of congressional hearings or legislative action.
 
The subpoena asked that all “communications between Coupang and the Korean government” — including the Korea Fair Trade Commission, the National Intelligence Service, and other agencies — from Jan. 1, 2020, to the present be submitted in their original, unedited form.
 
The subpoena also requested documents regarding the legal and business impact of Korean government investigations, punishments and criminal proceedings on Coupang and its executives, indicating the committee’s intent to gauge the lawfulness of the Korean government’s investigation into Coupang and reflect that in legislation.
 
During a National Assembly inquiry on Wednesday, Kim answered questions on the US House’s investigation by claiming it was “based on distorted facts.”
 
A senior government official also claimed that the investigation was being influenced by “Coupang’s lobbying efforts.”

By Kim Won-chul, Washington correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]