Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
96 Korean lawmakers blast US for 'infringing on judicial sovereignty' over Coupang probe
Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, Rebuilding Korea Party, Jinbo Party and Social Democratic Party hold a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, condemning what they described as undue pressure from U.S. House Republican lawmakers over the issue involving a massive data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang. A total of 96 lawmakers signed a protest letter and planned to deliver it to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
Cross-party lawmakers sign protest letter to US
A total of 96 Korean lawmakers on Tuesday condemned what they described as U.S. political pressure over a local investigation into e-commerce giant Coupang, calling it “an infringement on judicial sovereignty” and “interference in domestic affairs.”
Rep. Park Hong-bae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and other lawmakers held a press conference at the National Assembly, saying 96 legislators had signed a joint protest letter to be delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul later in the day.
The figure represents roughly one-third of the 300-member Assembly.
The move follows a recent letter sent by 54 House Republican lawmakers, who claimed Korean government and law enforcement authorities' investigation into Coupang's massive data breach case is discriminatory against the U.S.-headquartered company.
The 54 signatories account for about a quarter of the 217 Republican members in the 435-seat House of Representatives.
A media report also said Washington asked Seoul to legally guarantee the safety of Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk, also known as Bom Kim, otherwise it would not proceed with security discussions with Seoul.
Members of the DPK, Rebuilding Korea Party, Jinbo Party and Social Democratic Party argued that intervention by foreign lawmakers in a domestic corporate investigation, as well as attempts to link the issue to broader diplomatic or security cooperation, undermines the rule of law.
“Matters arising in Korea must be handled under Korean law and procedures,” Park said, warning that yielding to such demands could set a precedent for multinational firms to influence legal processes through diplomatic channels.
Park said the issue goes beyond a dispute involving a single company, stressing that “no individual or company can be above the law.”
“Korea's judicial sovereignty is not subject to negotiations,” he said.
During the briefing, several lawmakers shared these concerns, warning that allowing foreign political figures to influence domestic investigations could set an undesirable precedent.
Rep. Song Jae-bong of the DPK said the Korea-U.S. alliance “cannot serve as a shield to protect a corporate leader from legal responsibility,” adding that enforcing domestic law is a basic duty of a sovereign state.
Rep. Lee Hoon-ki of the DPK, who recently visited Washington, said some U.S. lawmakers appeared to have an incomplete understanding of the case, noting that he had explained Korea’s regulatory actions followed established procedures.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting and emergency economic review session at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
According to Park’s office, the decision to hold the press conference and send the letter was made independently by lawmakers without prior coordination with the government or party leadership.
An aide said the move was intended as a response at the legislative level, noting that the U.S. letter itself was also initiated by individual lawmakers rather than through a formal congressional process.
"The participating Korean lawmakers felt the Assembly could not remain silent on an issue involving judicial sovereignty, particularly given that the concerns were conveyed through diplomatic channels, and sought to present a unified position across party lines," the aide said.
Separately, President Lee Jae Myung said during a Cabinet meeting, “Traditional allies should resolve pending issues based on mutual respect” — remarks widely seen as referring to the ongoing dispute with the U.S. involving Coupang.
The foreign ministry said Monday it was considering sending a formal reply to the U.S. Republican lawmakers' letter. Spokesperson Park Il said that the ministry is consulting with relevant ministries on the matter and that it has been continuously explaining to the U.S. administration and Congress that the investigation into Coupang is being conducted in accordance with domestic law and due process.
Should a reply be sent, it is expected to lay out in detail the legal procedures involved and the seriousness and scale of the data breach at the center of the investigation, which is believed to have compromised the personal data of over 33 million customers.
Meanwhile, a Coupang official said the company would make no comment on the letters being exchanged between politicians of the two countries.
The official reiterated the company's previous stance that claims of Coupang using the U.S. administration or Congress to influence the investigation are “not true,” and denied that any security-related discussions had taken place.
The company also said its outreach efforts are aimed at promoting innovation, job creation and cross-border commerce, and stressed that it remains committed to complying with Korean laws and cooperating with relevant authorities.