On January 23, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with Vice President JD Vance to address the investigation into Coupang’s massive data breach, aiming to prevent misunderstandings between South Korea and the U.S.
At a press conference in the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., Kim reported that Vice President Vance inquired about the specific issues concerning Coupang. Kim explained that there was a 15-month delay in reporting the leak of a significant amount of citizen data.
Kim continued that he also clarified recent baseless accusations against the President and himself. As stated in yesterday’s press release, the claim that him, as a Coupang investor, had ordered a discriminatory and aggressive investigation was completely unfounded. He disproved this with his own statements and provided the English version of the press release on-site.
He added that he clearly stated that there was no discriminatory treatment against Coupang as an American company. Vice President Vance indicated he understood there might be legal issues under South Korean law.
Kim emphasized that there was a request to manage this issue carefully to prevent misunderstandings between our governments. He agreed with Vice President Vance’s concerns and committed to sharing facts about Coupang’s situation promptly.
During his U.S. visit, Prime Minister Kim’s meeting with Vice President Vance at the White House lasted about 50 minutes, exceeding the scheduled 40 minutes.
The previous day, Coupang’s American investors, GreenOaks and Altimeter, filed a petition with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). They alleged discriminatory treatment by the South Korean government, requesting tariffs on South Korean goods and market access restrictions under Trade Act Section 301. They also notified of their intent to seek international investment dispute settlement (ISDS) arbitration against South Korea, based on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
In their petition, the investors cited Prime Minister Kim’s alleged call for authorities to approach Coupang’s data breach crackdown with the resolve of eradicating the mafia as a key example of threats against the company.
They also claimed President Lee Jae Myung stated Coupang should face penalties threatening its existence, arguing that top South Korean officials were overreacting.
When asked if the U.S. would monitor the situation without initiating an investigation due to the USTR petition, Kim responded that it aims for a lawful resolution while preventing unnecessary tensions from misunderstandings between the countries through swift information exchange. The USTR has 45 days to decide on initiating an investigation.
Kim emphasized that the Donald Trump administration would not accept or understand the investors’ claim that President Lee has a pro-China, anti-U.S. stance.
He stated that the U.S.-Korea relationship has grown too strong to be shaken by a single company’s lobbying efforts. Today’s meeting confirmed that neither government is susceptible to truth distortion based on non-existent discrimination claims against a specific company.
Kim pledged to personally oversee the Coupang issue’s progress.
During the meeting, Kim suggested sending a U.S. special envoy to initiate dialogue with North Korea.
Kim recounted that Vice President Vance asked how the U.S. should proceed in improving relations with Kim Jong Un. He advised that while President Trump uniquely possesses the will and capability to improve relations, sending a special envoy to North Korea, whether through Vice President Vance or an expanded role for a U.S. envoy, could express the desire for improved relations.
Kim also proposed actively following up on the joint fact sheet from Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, highlighting three key concerns for Korea: shipbuilding, nuclear-powered submarines, and nuclear fuel reprocessing.
He reported that Vice President Vance strongly agreed, acknowledging that the U.S. also faces bureaucratic delays. He suggested establishing a specific timeline to monitor progress on the fact sheet.
Regarding Vice President Vance’s inquiry about Pastor Son Hyun-bo’s arrest for election law violations, Kim explained that in Korea, politics and religion are strictly separated, and there’s an ongoing investigation into election law violations.
Kim noted that he and Vance mutually acknowledged the importance of the U.S.-Korea alliance during their 50-minute meeting, which exceeded the scheduled 40 minutes.
Prime Minister Kim, who arrived in Washington, D.C. on January 22, plans to continue his schedule in New York before returning home on Monday.
This marks the first official U.S. visit by a South Korean Prime Minister in 41 years, following former Prime Minister Roh Shin-young’s 1985 visit. Previous visits occurred in 1953 for armistice agreement discussions and in 1967 regarding Vietnam War participation.
