Lee Jun-seok Calls on Government to Deliver Rebuttal to U.S. Coupang Discrimination Report

[Financial News] After the U.S. House Judiciary Committee released a report alleging that the South Korean government systematically discriminates against U.S. companies such as Coupang, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, urged on the 2nd, "The government should immediately activate an all-government response system and deliver South Korea's official rebuttal to the U.S. Congress and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) regarding the scale of the leak and the legitimacy of the investigation."
At a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Lee said, "A powerful shot was fired at South Korea from Washington, but there is no goalkeeper in our net," adding, "A day has passed since the report was released, and our government has still not responded."
Earlier, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the 1st local time released a 34-page report titled "Blocking Competition: South Korea's Discriminatory Attacks on U.S.-Owned Companies." Although the report was written by staff members, it said, based on testimony and other materials obtained by the committee, that "the South Korean government is using every regulatory tool at its disposal to target foreign companies" and that "the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is highly aggressive in its attacks on U.S. companies."
Lee, who said he had read the report, called it "a one-sided document that relies entirely on materials and testimony from Coupang," and added, "It does not even mention the Personal Information Protection Commission's judgment that the personal information of 37 million people was leaked, and it says nothing at all about the security concern that citizens' personal data may have been transferred to China."
Lee also noted, "What makes me feel concern more than anger is that this was not a hastily made shot, but a set piece prepared over five months," adding, "Regardless of whether the content is right or wrong, the fact that such a document has already been entered into the official record of the U.S. Congress is itself a disadvantage for us."
He added, "The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in December last year that it had given no instructions regarding Coupang, but the U.S. Congress has released documents that contradict that," and said, "I hope our intelligence agency's statement is true, and if the U.S. side is presenting incorrect facts, they should be corrected."
haeram@fnnews.com Lee Hae-ram Reporter