Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said the Coupang issue was mentioned during his meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. At the meeting, Vice President Vance noted mutual management without misunderstandings between the two governments.
On the 23rd (local time), at the White House in Washington, D.C., after meeting Vice President Vance, the prime minister said at a briefing with correspondents at the Korean Embassy that "there were questions from Vice President Vance about areas of interest and answers to them, and first there were questions and answers about Coupang."
The prime minister said, "Vice President Vance was curious about what specifically was the problem with the U.S. corporations Coupang," adding, "In a situation where information on a considerable number of people was leaked, the report on it was delayed for more than 15 months, and furthermore, I explained that recently there had been groundless criticism directed at the president and the prime minister."
He continued, "I made it clear that discriminatory treatment of U.S. corporations is not taking place, and Vice President Vance expressed understanding, saying he presumed there must have been some legal issue (with Coupang) under the Korean system."
The prime minister added, "Even so, there was a request from Vice President Vance that it would be good to manage this issue mutually so it does not bring misunderstandings or overheat between the two governments."
He went on, "I said I fully agree with such an issue-raising by Vice President Vance, and that going forward we would receive the facts about the progress on Coupang as they are, in the quickest manner."
The prime minister also said, "Historically, and since the Lee Jae-myung administration took office, Korea-U.S. relations have gone beyond the kind of relationship that a particular corporations could sway with lobbying."