An individual regarded as a close aide to U.S. President Donald Trump called the so-called "Coupang report" released by the U.S. House of Representatives a "timely warning." The person also argued that minor trade issues should not become a burden on the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Fred Fleitz, vice president of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), who served as chief of staff to the White House national security adviser during the first Trump administration, published a column on the 2nd (local time) in the conservative outlet Newsmax titled "The South Korea-U.S. alliance is indispensable and must be treated as such."
Fleitz described the report released the previous day by the U.S. House The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which claimed that the South Korean government treats U.S. corporations such as Coupang discriminatorily, as a "timely warning," adding that "by addressing such matters head-on, South Korea and the United States can show that they prioritize strategic tasks over narrow disputes."
Fleitz agreed with the Judiciary Committee report's assertion that the South Korean government is unfairly treating U.S. corporations. He stressed that, with grave security issues piling up that require South Korea-U.S. cooperation—such as North Korea's nuclear program and China's growth—tensions between the two countries should not be heightened by minor trade matters.
He went on to say, "President Lee Jae-myung's pragmatic approach to South Korea-U.S. security issues has already produced significant progress in areas such as defense spending and nuclear energy cooperation," adding, "Extending pragmatism to trade issues will greatly strengthen the foundation of the (South Korea-U.S.) alliance."
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee the previous day issued an interim report under the names of the Republican Chairperson and the subcommittee chair in charge of regulatory reform, asserting that the South Korean government discriminates against U.S. corporations, including Coupang.
The South Korean government expressed regret, saying the report reflects only Coupang's side of the story.