DP lawmakers blast Republicans' Coupang letter for infringing on Seoul’s sovereignty
Published: 28 Apr. 2026, 17:21
Updated: 28 Apr. 2026, 20:07
![Lawmakers from the Democratic Party, Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party and the Social Democratic Party speak at a press conference at the National Assembly on April 28, after sending the United States Embassy in Korea with a letter of protest regarding a letter from Republican lawmakers in the United States regarding the Korean government's treatment of Coupang. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/28/15424071-fc15-4ecf-ba90-3ad1cd7982c7.jpg)
Lawmakers from the Democratic Party, Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party and the Social Democratic Party speak at a press conference at the National Assembly on April 28, after sending the United States Embassy in Korea with a letter of protest regarding a letter from Republican lawmakers in the United States regarding the Korean government's treatment of Coupang. [YONHAP]
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is pushing back hard after Republican lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives urged Korean Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha to stop pressuring Coupang, reopening political tensions between Seoul and Washington over the e-commerce giant as what began as a domestic legal dispute spills into diplomacy.
Lawmakers from the DP, Reform Korea Party, the Progressive Party and the Social Democratic Party delivered a letter of protest to the Embassy of the United States in Korea on Tuesday, signifying the continued dispute over a massive data leak at the e-commerce company last November.
"The U.S. Congress and the U.S. government pressuring our government counts as interference in domestic affairs and an infringement on judicial sovereignty," DP Rep. Kim Nam-geun said in a press conference at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
"Ninety lawmakers will submit a letter [opposing the pressure]," he said.
Other DP lawmakers joined him, criticizing the U.S. lawmakers' move to "defend" Coupang.
"Coupang's sly lobbyists are distorting facts and shaking the political world,” DP Rep. Kim Joon-hyung said. Rep. Chung Chin-ook took a step further and said, “If there is diplomatic risk, does that mean we should overlook wrongdoing even if it exists?”
The letter sent electronically to the U.S. Embassy said investigations and punishment over criminal allegations are "the sovereign right of an independent state and must proceed free from outside pressure under any circumstances."
Any discussion, therefore, in Korea over sanctions against Coupang and Bom Kim, the chairman of the Wall Street-listed parent company, should be handled through domestic legal procedures.
The document also included the seals — serving as signatures — of 90 lawmakers.
![Harold Rogers, the interim chief of Coupang Korea, second from left, poses for a photograph during his delivery and preparation experiences in an undated photo. [COUPANG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/28/9240c429-d6c2-4a44-aec1-31fdd7e80544.jpg)
Harold Rogers, the interim chief of Coupang Korea, second from left, poses for a photograph during his delivery and preparation experiences in an undated photo. [COUPANG]
The backlash came after 54 House members in the Republican Study Committee, one of the largest policy groups within the Republican Party, sent Kang a letter demanding that the Korean government stop the "discriminatory actions against U.S. companies” on April 21.
"We ask your government to end its targeted assault of American companies immediately," the letter said.
Korea's national security adviser, Wi Sung-lac, acknowledged that the Coupang issue is "in fact affecting Korea-U.S. security consultations," in a briefing in Hanoi on Thursday.
"The government has taken note of the lawmakers’ letter and has been in contact with U.S. lawmakers to explain [Seoul’s] position and help them understand the matter," Wi said.
The ruling party has been digging into Coupang ever since the platform admitted to a data leak affecting as many as 33 million customers in November last year.
The National Assembly held a joint hearing on the leak and questioned Harold Rogers, Coupang’s interim chief executive in Korea, along with Bae Kyung-hoon, deputy prime minister and science minister, in December of last year. The Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee also filed a complaint against Chairman Kim for not appearing at parliamentary hearings on Dec. 31.
![Park Dae-jun, then-CEO of Coupang in Korea, answers questions during a National Policy Committee hearing on a massive personal data leak at the company at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 3, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/28/7d5072ea-18e5-4443-9d1f-b56306a217c4.jpg)
Park Dae-jun, then-CEO of Coupang in Korea, answers questions during a National Policy Committee hearing on a massive personal data leak at the company at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 3, 2025. [NEWS1]
The issue had quieted down after concerns that such hardline moves could turn into a Korea-U.S. diplomatic risk.
The issue returned to the fore in February amid a resurgence of criticism that regulations barring large supermarkets from operating dawn delivery services helped fuel Coupang’s rise.
The ruling party then moved to scrap those restrictions. The argument was that large marts had faced business-hour restrictions since 2013, while Coupang benefited by launching Rocket Delivery in 2014 and dawn delivery in 2018.
DP lawmakers took a defiant stance against Washington during the party's floor leadership meeting on Tuesday.
"It would never be fair to argue that Coupang should be exempt from legitimate legal sanctions simply because it is a U.S. company,” Rep. Lee Yong-woo, the party’s legal affairs chief, said in opening remarks. “The conduct of some U.S. House members openly disparaging Korea’s administrative and judicial system counts as clear interference in domestic affairs and undermines mutual trust and respect between allies."
The party also took aim at opposition People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok over a meeting with Rep. Darrell Issa, Republican of California, during his visit to the United States. The lawmaker reportedly took the reins on the letter sent to Ambassador Kang.
“I want to know what Jang said in response when he met Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who led the protest letter,” Rep. Han Jeoung-ae, the DP’s policy committee chair, said.
“It is deeply regrettable that the opposition leader met a lawmaker who defended Coupang,” Rep. Kim Hyun-jung, the party’s floor spokesperson, said.
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 BO-HYUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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