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South Korea Rejects U.S. House Report on Coupang Data-Leak Probe, Denies Targeting U.S.-Linked Company
South Korea's presidential office on July 3 dismissed claims in a U.S. House Judiciary Committee report that Seoul conducted discriminatory investigations against Coupang. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the probe followed due process and did not target the company by nationality.
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South Korea's presidential office rejected a U.S. House Judiciary Committee report that accused the government of discriminatory targeting of Coupang Inc. over a customer data leak investigation at the company's South Korean affiliate.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said during a July 3 press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae that the report's claims of a targeted investigation and unfair regulations were far from the facts. He stated that South Korea does not discriminate against companies based on nationality and does not conduct targeted investigations.
Wi added that the probe into Coupang is being carried out without discrimination in accordance with due process under domestic law.
Coupang has acknowledged that the data leak involved more than 33 million user accounts, and Wi noted that the breach could have affected U.S. citizens living in South Korea. Wi denied the report's allegation that the National Intelligence Service or a high-level presidential official was involved in retrieving an IT gadget from China belonging to a suspect in the data breach.
He said the report appears to have reflected only Coupang's unilateral claims. Wi stated that the South Korean government will work through continued communication to ensure its position is understood in the United States and to separate the Coupang issue from other bilateral matters.
