Coupang Spends 4.8 Billion Won on U.S. Lobbying, Boosts Donations to Democrats by 53% Ahead of Midterms

[Financial News] With Democrats expected to fare well in next month’s U.S. midterm elections, Coupang has also sharply increased its political contributions to Democratic lawmakers. Its contributions this year rose about 53% from the same period last year.
According to political contribution records filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and disclosed on the 22nd (local time), COUPAC, the political action committee (PAC) established by Coupang, contributed $185,000 (about 250 million won) to members of both chambers of the U.S. Congress during the first three quarters of this year. That was an 18.2% increase from the $156,000 contributed during the same period last year.
In the United States, individuals face limits on how much they can contribute to a particular candidate’s campaign. Corporations and interest groups such as labor unions cannot make contributions directly; instead, they establish PACs and raise separate funds to support specific candidates or parties. PACs also face contribution limits and restrictions on spending, including on political advertising.
Of COUPAC’s contributions during the first three quarters of this year, $107,000 went to Democratic lawmakers, Democratic-affiliated campaign organizations, and other Democratic PACs, while $78,000 went to Republican lawmakers and affiliated groups. Compared with the same period last year, contributions to Democrats rose by $37,000 (52.9%), while those to Republicans fell by $8,000 (9.8%).
Coupang, which has been at odds with the South Korean government since last year’s personal data breach, has claimed that South Korea unfairly discriminates against the company. Several U.S. politicians have responded by showing support for Coupang.
According to the newly disclosed contribution records, COUPAC gave $20,000 to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and a PAC supporting him, and $5,000 to Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), chair of the Ways and Means trade subcommittee. The subcommittee held a “Coupang hearing” in Congress last January.
COUPAC also contributed $1,000 to Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Administrative, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, which issued a report on Coupang last July stating that “South Korea is attacking U.S. companies in a discriminatory manner.” It also gave $5,000 to Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
Separate from this election, Coupang spent a considerable sum on lobbying targeting the U.S. government and Congress. According to the Senate lobbying report (LD-2), Coupang spent $3.62 million (about 4,795,770,000 won) in the first three quarters of this year alone.
Coupang’s annual lobbying expenses stood at around $1.01 million in 2021, $1.45 million in 2022, and $1.55 million in 2023, before surging to $3.87 million in 2024 and $2.27 million in 2025. Its spending this year was at least double the $1.69 million spent during the same period last year. In its latest LD-2 filing, Coupang listed the White House Executive Office of the President (EOP), the State Department, the Commerce Department, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and the Senate as lobbying targets. It also said its lobbying agenda was the “protection of U.S. companies operating in Korea.”
[email protected] Park Jong-won Reporter