Harold Rogers, acting head of Coupang, appeared before police again on suspicion of giving false testimony during a joint hearing at the National Assembly. It has been a week since the first summons.
The Anti-Corruption and Public Crimes Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 6th summoned Rogers as a suspect for violating the National Assembly testimony and appraisal act and is under investigation.
Rogers arrived at the Mapo office of the Seoul agency at about 1:29 p.m. that day. He briefly said, "Coupang will continue to cooperate with all government investigations, and we will faithfully comply with today's investigation."
Rogers did not answer reporters' questions such as "Do you admit the allegations?" and "Did Coupang lobby the U.S. House to claim it is being discriminated against?" and headed to the interrogation room.
Rogers is undergoing additional police questioning that day following on the 30th of last month. It stems from Rogers' remarks at the hearing. At the hearing, Rogers answered to the effect that there were instructions from the Korean government (National Intelligence Service) regarding the circumstances under which they met and questioned a former Chinese developer suspected of leaking personal information and retrieved a laptop.
However, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) refuted that it had given no instructions to Coupang, and the Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee filed a complaint for perjury against seven former and current Coupang executives, including Rogers.
As the investigation into Rogers continues, backlash is growing in U.S. politics. Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and others said, "Korean government agencies, including the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), are intensifying discriminatory actions against U.S. tech corporations and are even raising threats of criminal punishment against U.S. citizens," and issued a subpoena ordering Rogers to appear before the committee on the 23rd.
They also ordered him to testify about the Korean government's "targeting" of U.S. innovation corporations and to submit all records of communications with the Korean Blue House, government, and National Assembly.