A view of the National Assembly in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today
Feb. 8 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s main opposition party on Saturday criticized a U.S. congressional subpoena issued to Coupang’s Korea unit that explicitly names President Lee Jae-myung, calling it a “national embarrassment” and demanding an explanation from the government.
The People Power Party reacted after the U.S. House Judiciary Committee disclosed a subpoena sent to Coupang Korea’s interim chief executive that cites actions by South Korean authorities and public remarks by Lee.
Choi Bo-yoon, the party’s chief spokesperson, said it was troubling that the president’s full name appeared in an official document issued by a foreign legislature.
“The problem is that the public has no way of knowing what the government and the presidential office did – or failed to do – before the president’s name appeared in a U.S. congressional subpoena,” Choi said. “This is an unprecedented embarrassment for the country.”
Choi said the document details actions taken by South Korean government agencies, including the Fair Trade Commission, references to possible business suspensions, large-scale investigations and repeated data requests, as well as the president’s public comments.
“This issue goes beyond an individual case involving Coupang,” Choi said. “It reflects a situation in which presidential remarks and the government’s response have been elevated into a formal issue before the U.S. Congress.”
He added that the subpoena quoted Lee’s remarks calling for “strong punishment and massive fines,” arguing that the matter had shifted from a domestic personal data protection issue into an international dispute framed as discrimination against a U.S. company.
Choi also called for senior officials to provide an explanation, saying the silence of the presidential chief of staff, national security adviser and prime minister was unacceptable given the sensitivity of the situation.
“This comes at a time when tariff negotiations, technology regulation and platform legislation are all moving simultaneously between South Korea and the United States,” he said. “The government should have anticipated U.S. concerns and managed them proactively.”
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee posted the subpoena on its website Wednesday, alleging that the South Korean government discriminated against Coupang.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260209010002883