More than 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have criticized the Lee Jae-myung administration, claiming it is treating American companies unfairly.
According to Fox News on the 21st (local time), the lawmakers argued that the South Korean government is targeting U.S. companies while giving preferential treatment to Chinese firms, describing it as “a left-wing government closely aligned with China.”
In particular, in a letter led by Republican Representative Darrell Issa, more than 50 House members conveyed their concerns to South Korea’s ambassador to the United States, Kang Kyung-wha, regarding what they described as “discriminatory” corporate policies by the Korean government.
The letter stated that “many American technology companies are facing various regulatory measures intended as punishment, which ultimately serve to protect competing firms within South Korea.”
The lawmakers also cited a study by the U.S. think tank Competere, claiming that such discriminatory regulations by the Korean government could result in total economic losses of $1 trillion (approximately 1,478 trillion KRW) for both the United States and South Korea over the next decade, including about $525 billion (approximately 776 trillion KRW) in losses to the U.S. economy.
They further mentioned Coupang, which has faced broad investigations and audits by the Korean government following a personal data breach incident, stating that “the Korean government must stop persecuting Coupang and other American companies operating in Korea. This is directly tied to U.S. economic and security interests.”
In an interview, Rep. Issa said that “South Korea remains an important strategic ally,” but added that “since the recent election brought in a left-wing government closely aligned with China, attacks on American companies have begun across various sectors.”
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