U.S. Ambassador Nominee Hearing: "Coupang Should Not Be Discriminated Against"

Michelle Steel, who has been nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to South Korea, said that American companies operating in South Korea, including Coupang, should not face discrimination.
At a hearing held on the 20th local time before the United States Senate in Washington, D.C., Steel said, "American companies doing business in South Korea deserve the same market access that South Korean companies enjoy in the United States."
Referring to the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) released last year on trade and security agreements between the leaders of South Korea and the United States, she said, "It clearly states that American companies should not be discriminated against and will not face unnecessary barriers." She added, "If I am confirmed, I will make sure to follow up on that."
Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, pointed to South Korea's non-tariff barriers on U.S. agricultural products and the reduction of low-tariff quota (TRQ) volumes for U.S. soybeans. He then urged that South Korea's promise to ease non-tariff barriers be kept.
In response, Steel said, "I will discuss agricultural trade issues, including soybeans, with the South Korean government and officials in charge of trade matters." She also said the $350 billion South Korean investment plan in the United States, agreed by Seoul and Washington, was not clear, adding, "I want to find out exactly where that is coming from." She further noted that South Korea's trade surplus with the United States exceeds $50 billion and said she would look for ways to increase U.S. exports to South Korea.
pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter