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Coupang chief's U.S. 'subpoena' may actually be a more 'friendly' committee deposition

Published: 11 Feb. 2026, 21:19

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, leaves the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency building in Mapo District, western Seoul, after 14 hours of questioning about allegations of perjury during his National Assembly hearing held last year, on Feb. 7. [YONHAP]

The “subpoena” that Coupang's interim CEO Harold Rogers reportedly received from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee was not for a formal hearing but a committee deposition, according to findings by the JoongAng Ilbo confirmed on Tuesday. Some even suggest that Coupang — a U.S.-listed company — may have requested the subpoena in cooperation with the committee to present its case before Congress.

The judiciary committee issued the subpoena on Feb. 5 to Rogers to take part in a session set for Feb. 23. The session, according to a local source, is “a closed-door deposition rather than a public hearing.”

“It differs from claims by Coupang’s lobbying firm to some Korean media outlets that lawmakers from both parties would directly question the Korean government,” the source told the JoongAng Ilbo.

In fact, the Judiciary Committee’s official schedule does not list any hearing on Feb. 23. Unlike formal hearings, which are typically attended by committee members and livestreamed online, depositions are conducted privately by congressional staff. As no Coupang-related event appears on the public calendar, Rogers’ deposition is also likely to be closed to the public.

“Committee staff are referring to the subpoena issued to Rogers as a 'friendly subpoena,'” according to a source familiar with congressional affairs. In Washington, a friendly subpoena refers to one issued when the recipient has agreed in advance to cooperate or appear, meaning the party is not being compelled unwillingly but has either volunteered to speak or at least promised to attend beforehand.

“The deposition itself may have been arranged through Coupang’s lobbying efforts,” said the source.

The subpoena papers sent by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to Harold Rogers, interim chief of Coupang, on Feb. 5 contain the signature of Jim Jordan, the committee chairman. [KANG TAE-HWA]

Previously, however, Coupang said that it would review whether to comply with a subpoena “if it were to receive one.”

Coupang’s apparent decision to appear before the Judiciary Committee is interpreted as an effort to actively present its position and cultivate a favorable opinion within U.S. political circles.

Until now, discussions in Congress regarding Coupang had primarily taken place in the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax policy as well as tariffs and trade issues. Because the committee has jurisdiction over customs and trade policy, debate over Coupang expanded into a trade matter.

During a hearing held on Jan. 13, some lawmakers had characterized the investigation into Coupang’s data leak as “an unfair attack by the Korean government.” However, a common factor among those lawmakers was that they had received significant political donations from Coupang: Rep. Adrian Smith, Republican of Nebraska who chairs the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, has received $17,500 since last year; Rep. Carol Miller, Republican of West Virginia who described the investigation as a “political witch hunt,” received $10,250; while Rep. Suzan DelBene, Democrat of Washington who said “Korea has broken its promise,” received $15,000.

The Judiciary Committee, which has the Korea Fair Trade Commission as its counterpart, cited as background for the subpoena claims that the commission has targeted innovative American companies with punitive obligations, excessive fines and discriminatory enforcement in order to protect Korean competitors.

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, enters the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency building in Mapo District, western Seoul, on to answer questions on allegations of perjury during his National Assembly hearing held last year, on Feb. 6. [YONHAP]

Tyler Grimm, who previously served as a senior adviser to Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan and signed the subpoena, is now affiliated with Miller Strategies, a lobbying firm contracted by Coupang.

“The deposition is likely the result of Coupang’s lobbying efforts,” said a diplomatic source, who wished to stay anonymous. “While it has not yet reached the stage of a formal hearing, it cannot be ruled out that the issue could expand within the Judiciary Committee depending on developments.”

However, some observers say testimony before Congress could come back to bite Coupang.

“Even at the deposition stage, witnesses must take an oath and bear responsibility for perjury,” another source said. “Coupang, which has claimed based on its own internal investigation that only about 3,000 customer records were leaked, could end up undermining itself.”

The Coupang logo is seen on a logistics center in Seoul on Feb. 11, 2026. [YONHAP]

Korea's investigation team found that 33.67 million pieces of data were leaked from Coupang. A list of delivery addresses, containing phone numbers and street addresses of users, was viewed 148.05 million times, and pages containing shared apartment entrance passwords were viewed more than 50,000 times.

Coupang, however, has maintained that only about 3,000 pieces of data were actually taken and that all were recovered, resulting in no further damage. On Feb. 5, the day news broke of Rogers’ subpoena, the company abruptly revised its position, saying it had confirmed an additional 165,000 cases of data leakage.

Still, the deposition could pose risks for Korea because Congress may intervene in the Coupang issue and potentially lead U.S. President Donald Trump to take steps that disrupt trade agreements, according to Adam Farrar, a former White House National Security Council director for Korean affairs, speaking on a Center for Strategic and International Studies podcast on Tuesday.

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.
BY KANG TAE-HWA [[email protected]]