Fifty-four members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a group of Republican members in the U.S. House, reportedly sent a letter to Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-hwa urging an end to discriminatory regulations against U.S. corporations operating in Korea, including Coupang.
On the 21st (local time), the RSC said the letter was delivered under the lead of Rep. Michael Baumgartner. The letter emphasized the importance of the economic and security alliance between Korea and the United States and, regarding the recent conflict between the Korean government and Coupang, said it was "a discriminatory and politically motivated action against U.S. corporations."
It also cited a recent U.S.-Korea trade agreement in which the Korean government agreed not to discriminate against or disadvantage U.S. corporations, stressing that "the Korean government is ignoring its commitments and continues to disadvantage U.S. corporations, and this is unacceptable."
In the letter, the Republicans said, "The Korean government launched a whole-of-government attack on Coupang under the pretext of a low-sensitivity information leak incident," citing as examples a review of a business suspension against Coupang, search and seizure, punitive penalty surcharge, and a tax investigation.
In particular, they said of Coupang, "Over the past 10 years, it has been the largest source of U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) into Korea and is currently selling U.S.-made goods and agricultural products worth billions of dollars annually to Korean consumers." The RSC went on to express concern about systematic regulations not only against Coupang but also against U.S. corporations such as Apple, Google, and Meta.