Coupang paid $250,000 to Trump-linked lobbying firm in Q2, says U.S. Senate report
The e-commerce giant paid Ballard Partners $250,000 in the second quarter as it widened U.S. lobbying amid growing friction over its treatment in Korea.
Coupang's office in Songpa District, southern SeoulNEWS1
Coupang continued lobbying the White House and the U.S. Congress through a lobbying firm led by a close associate of U.S. President Donald Trump in the second quarter, after using the same firm in the first quarter.
Coupang paid lobbying firm Ballard Partners $250,000 in the second quarter, according to documents released by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Coupang also paid the same firm $170,000 during the first quarter to handle lobbying efforts.
The filings show that the lobbying focused on strengthening economic and trade cooperation between the United States and its allies. Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Britain and the European Union were listed as the target countries. The White House, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Office of the United States Trade Representative were also identified as institutions targeted by the lobbying.
Ballard Partners is one of Washington's leading lobbying firms and is headed by Brian Ballard, a longtime associate of President Trump. Ballard maintained a friendship with Trump for decades and served as a key fundraiser for the president's 2016 and 2024 election campaigns. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who serves in Trump's second administration, previously worked at the firm.
Coupang has been expanding lobbying efforts in the United States. Documents disclosed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act show that the company retained additional lobbying firms, including Crossroads Strategies, Williams & Jensen and Miller Strategies, to lobby the U.S. government and Congress.
The lobbying efforts come as the Korean government's response to Coupang's data leak drew attention in the U.S. Congress. The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary released a report on July 1 claiming that the Korean government had treated Coupang unfairly.
Documents disclosed by the U.S. Senate under the Lobbying Disclosure Act show Coupang paid $250,000 to Ballard Partners in the second quarter.SCREEN CAPTURE
The Korean government rejected the claim, saying it does not treat companies differently based on whether they are domestic or foreign.
The controversy surrounding Coupang has emerged as a point of contention in Korea-U.S. relations.
"The Coupang issue is lasting much longer than expected," Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha told reporters during a visit to Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
"While managing this issue separately, we are continuing discussions to make progress on the joint fact sheet agreed upon by the Korean and U.S. presidents in October last year." Kang declined to elaborate on the U.S. side's specific demands, saying only that the two are continuing discussions.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
