"Korea Betrays American Companies"

South Korea's National Assembly is facing strong criticism from conservative figures in the United States over its proposed "Online Platform Fair Trade Act."

Steve Cortes, founder of the conservative advocacy group League of American Workers and a former senior advisor to the Trump presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020, known for his work in securing Hispanic voter support, published an article titled "Korea's Betrayal of American Companies" in the conservative media outlet "America Greatness" on Monday the 22nd, drawing significant attention.

Cortes pointed out, "Korea is weaponizing 'fairness' laws to conduct raids and intimidation against American companies, turning a key alliance into a testing ground for whether free trade still means fairness."

He stated, "Today, American companies are facing economic hostility from South Korea, one of America's closest allies. President Lee Jae-myung, who has been in office for less than a year, is orchestrating a systematic regulatory offensive against American companies with members of the National Assembly. This is far closer to economic nationalism directly targeting the U.S. than legitimate antitrust enforcement."

The list of companies targeted by the South Korean government is clear: "Google, Apple, Meta, Netflix, Uber, and even Coupang, an e-commerce giant founded in the U.S. and grown into one of the world's most successful logistics and retail platforms."

Cortes criticized the bill, originally known as the "Digital Platform Regulation Act" and ironically rebranded as the "Fair Trade Act," stating that it "intends to disadvantage American companies and protect Korean companies from foreign competition, giving them a market advantage." He condemned it as "protectionism disguised in bureaucratic language, not free trade."

He suggested that these measures are "part of a growing anti-American sentiment among South Korean leadership," highlighting remarks by Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Sang-ki, who stated that "white working-class people in the American Midwest are angry and feel deprived" due to President Trump's policies.

This aligns with concerns previously raised by Republican lawmakers during House committee hearings, confirming the widespread strong dissatisfaction within the U.S. conservative camp towards South Korea's current leadership.

Cortes used Coupang, an "American tech company," as an example, saying, "By any reasonable standard, Coupang should be lauded as a successful model of US-Korea cooperation. Instead, it has become the target of political attacks."

He reported, "The South Korean National Assembly has decided to file criminal charges against Coupang's American founder and chairman, which could lead to his arrest if he attempts to re-enter South Korea. Even more shocking is the report that President Lee Jae-myung has ordered the complete bankruptcy of Coupang."

Cortes pointed out that although Coupang Korea's subsidiary only had basic contact information leaked in a data breach incident, with no bank, payment, or login details compromised, South Korean lawmakers used this as a pretext to summon and humiliate Coupang's interim American CEO, HL Roger, to the National Assembly on December 17th, issuing threats.

Cortes stated, "Senior South Korean officials are openly calling for punitive fines, bankruptcy, deportation, and even harsher sanctions against Coupang and its American management. One lawmaker argued that the company should be completely 'expelled' as Korean companies can replace Coupang." He characterized this as "economic nationalism with a clear anti-American bent."

Cortes advised, "If South Korea wishes to maintain its relationship with the United States, the path forward is clear: cease legal battles and withdraw threats."

He added, "Korea must stop criminalizing the success of American companies. Otherwise, it will continue on a path of confrontation and eventually face a strong economic response from the United States, which will be forced to defend its own rights."

Cortes further elaborated, "'America First' does not mean America will be isolated. However, it does mean that America will not yield to any pressure."

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Correspondent for this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com