South Korea says ‘fully implementing’ non-discrimination pledge for US firms after Republican letter
Seoul, April 23 (IANS) South Korea is fully implementing its pledge not to discriminate against US digital companies in line with summit agreements between the two nations’ leaders, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, pushing back on US Republicans’ claims of Seoul’s “targeted assault” on American firms.
The foreign ministry issued the statement after 54 Republican congressional members sent a letter to South Korean Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha, urging Seoul to cease what they describe as unwarranted treatment of US firms through discriminatory regulations and other measures, reports Yonhap news agency.
Among the companies cited was Coupang Inc., the US-listed e-commerce giant that has come under legal scrutiny in South Korea over its massive data breach involving the personal information of more than 33 million users. The lawmakers accused Seoul of using the “low-sensitivity” incident as a pretext to attack Coupang.
“The government has been fully implementing its commitment to not subject US digital companies to discriminatory actions or unnecessary barriers, in line with the leaders’ agreements outlined in the South Korea-US joint fact sheet. This includes Coupang,” the ministry said.
“The investigation and measures concerning Coupang are being carried out in accordance with domestic law and due process, and are conducted in a non-discriminatory manner regardless of nationality,” it said.
South Korea has explained these positions to the US Congress and will continue to do so, the ministry added.
The letter from the Republican Study Committee came amid mounting speculation in Korea that Washington had warned talks on security issues under the joint fact sheet, such as Seoul’s push for nuclear-powered submarines, may not proceed unless Seoul guarantees the personal safety of Coupang Chairman Kim Bom-suk.
Seoul has said the security talks are unrelated to the Coupang issue and that it will continue consulting with Washington to ensure the matter does not affect the talks.
–IANS
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