The political sphere reacted sharply on Wednesday (the 1st) following the release of a report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, which exposed "discriminatory attacks on U.S.-owned companies in South Korea."

According to a report by CNBC, a White House official stated in an email statement that Coupang has been "targeted" by the South Korean government, adding that the Trump administration "expresses deep concern regarding the South Korean government's discriminatory targeting of U.S. technology companies."

"The Trump administration will not tolerate unfair trade practices, including actions that restrict market access for U.S. digital services," the White House official stated.

The report focused on the South Korean government’s alleged abuse of power to target innovative American companies, listing testimonies regarding excessive fines and harassment faced by Coupang and several other firms.

On the 1st, the New York Post reported, "A report has emerged revealing that the 'Amazon of South Korea,' which is headquartered in the U.S., experienced a bizarre incident involving the recovery of a laptop from the bottom of a river in China." The report included photos of the laptop and bag, which it claimed Coupang had recovered by hiring divers, linked to a former Chinese employee.

Coupang released photos of a damaged MacBook Air laptop that a dive team commissioned by the U.S. tech company recovered from a river in China.

A photo of a river in Shanghai where a Coupang employee allegedly threw a laptop involved in a data leak incident.On the 2nd (Korea Standard Time), the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated during a regular briefing, "The contents of the report claiming that our government is continuing discriminatory investigations and unjust regulations against Coupang are different from the facts."

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Park Il stated, "Regarding the confidential testimony related to Coupang heard by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, our government has been communicating with the committee and faithfully explaining our position. However, we express regret that the committee's report, released on Wednesday the 1st, unilaterally reflects only the claims made by Coupang."

Spokesperson Park further added, "The investigations and measures concerning Coupang are being conducted lawfully and non-discriminatorily in accordance with our domestic laws, and our government guarantees a fair business environment regardless of nationality."

He continued by saying that the government plans to continue engaging with the U.S. Congress, including the Judiciary Committee, and the administration to provide accurate information and explain that South Korea is faithfully fulfilling its U.S.-Korea trade agreements. He also noted that the government plans to continue consultations with the U.S. to ensure that issues related to Coupang do not have a negative impact on security discussions between the two countries.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Park Il stated during a regular briefing at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd, "We express regret that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's report on discrimination against U.S. companies in Korea unilaterally reflects only the claims of Coupang." [Yonhap News]

In response to the South Korean government's statement, a spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee told CNBC that the committee "stands by our report, which was based on contemporaneous documents and testimony," adding, "South Korea is engaging in the same behavior as other foreign governments that have been caught targeting and harassing innovative American companies."

In its report, the committee stated that Coupang has been under discriminatory pressure from the South Korean government, and that this pressure intensified following a data leak incident committed by a disgruntled former employee in 2025.

While the South Korean government stated in its release that 37.55 million people were affected by the leak, the House Judiciary Committee report indicated that the former employee had only stored and possessed information related to approximately 3,000 accounts.

The committee noted that the South Korean government's offensive against Coupang has caused the company's market capitalization to drop by more than 40%, which could have a negative impact on investors.

Demetrios Marantis, who served as Acting U.S. Trade Representative during the Obama administration, said in an interview with CNBC that while South Korea is a key U.S. trade partner in Asia, other U.S.-based digital firms like Google and Netflix have also occasionally faced friction with South Korean regulators.

"South Korea has long discriminated against foreign companies and implemented protectionist policies, showing somewhat insular tendencies," he said. "However, I have never seen a case as serious as the Coupang situation. It is unprecedented for an entire government to put all its efforts into targeting a single company."

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) wrote on X, "South Korea is an ally and a partner. But targeting American companies and even targeting American citizens is not how friends treat each other. This report from the Judiciary Committee is a bombshell. We must act accordingly."

Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, wrote on X on the 1st that the report exposes a "government-backed scheme to punish American companies simply because they are American," assessing that the concerns raised in a letter he sent in April along with over 50 other members of Congress have been confirmed as true.

Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, thanked Chairman Jim Jordan for his investigation on X on the 2nd, writing, "The message is clear - discriminatory treatment of U.S. companies will not be tolerated."

The U.S. Coalition of Service Industries (USCSI) also pointed out that the report contains "troubling allegations that American companies are facing discriminatory and politically motivated enforcement actions in South Korea," noting that "addressing these concerns is key to strengthening the U.S.-Korea economic alliance and maintaining investor confidence."

U.S. NNP = Lead Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Correspondent for the paper NNP info@newsandpost.com