Harold Rogers, acting country manager for Coupang Korea, arrives at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Anti-Corruption Investigation Division in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 6th to be investigated for alleged false testimony at the National Assembly's joint hearing on the "Coupang situation." [Yonhap News]

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the 5th (local time) publicly released a subpoena sent to Harold Rogers, acting country manager for Coupang, regarding the Coupang situation, which is causing controversy due to a massive personal information leak, claiming "discrimination" by the South Korean government.

In the five-page subpoena sent to Rogers that day, Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a Republican, and Scott Fitzgerald, chairman of the Subcommittee on Administrative, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, stated, "Despite the recent trade agreement with the Trump administration aiming to avoid discriminatory treatment and unnecessary barriers against U.S. companies, the South Korean government has continued targeted attacks." They argued, "The South Korean government's move to target Coupang and prosecute U.S. executives is directly contrary to recent promises."

Amidst claims that Coupang is lobbying the U.S. Congress regarding the information leak incident, it is interpreted that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has stepped in to protect Coupang.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has demanded that Rogers appear on the 23rd and testify about the South Korean government's "targeting" of U.S. companies.

The Judiciary Committee stated in the subpoena, "The South Korean Fair Trade Commission and other government agencies have escalated their discriminatory attacks on U.S. companies, including threatening criminal prosecution of a U.S. citizen (Rogers)," emphasizing, "This committee must investigate the scale and nature of the escalation to develop effective legislation protecting U.S. companies and citizens."

The House Judiciary Committee argued, "Foreign attempts to attack innovative American companies harm consumers and small businesses, and benefit companies closely aligned with China," adding, "South Korea also has a long history of targeting U.S. companies using its antitrust laws and digital regulations."

They also requested that Rogers submit correspondence and communication records between Coupang and the South Korean government.

However, a senior South Korean government official, meeting with Korean correspondents in Washington that day regarding the U.S. House of Representatives holding hearings on Coupang, pointed out, "Rather than a diplomatic issue, it appears to be the U.S. Congress, influenced by Coupang's lobbying, handling the matter this way."

Previously, during his visit to the United States last month, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum emphasized in response to questions from federal lawmakers about the South Korean government's response to Coupang, "There is absolutely no discrimination against Coupang," and added, "The ROK-U.S. alliance is built on trust to the extent that there is no need to worry about discriminatory treatment."