Home > National > Diplomacy

Blue House denies discrimination against U.S. companies over network usage fees

Published: 29 Apr. 2026, 08:55 Updated: 29 Apr. 2026, 10:42

The Blue House in central Seoul is seen in a photo taken in 2021. [NEWS1]

The Blue House denied a claim that U.S. companies were being discriminated against in Korea over network usage fees after the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) raised grievances over the issue.

"Claims of U.S. companies being discriminated against over network usage fees and platform regulations are contrary to the facts," a Blue House spokesperson said Tuesday, noting that no laws have been passed to enforce network usage fees.

The USTR, in an X post on Monday, said “No country in the world imposes a network usage fees on the transmission of Internet traffic to its Internet service providers [ISPs]. Except Korea,” listing it one of the "trade barriers" that American exporters face.

The Blue House spokesperson said Seoul stands by its pledge not to discriminate against U.S. digital companies as outlined by a joint fact sheet of a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump last November.

Korean ISPs have argued that online content providers, such as Netflix and YouTube, should pay network usage fees when creating large volumes of traffic.

Yonhap