The government clarified on Wednesday that security discussions between South Korea and the U.S. should progress independently of the Coupang issue, in response to media reports suggesting that the U.S. had requested safety assurances for Kim Bom-suk, chairman of Coupang Inc.’s board, to avoid potential arrest during his visit to South Korea. This statement appears to confirm the accuracy of these reports.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that both countries are in close communication through various channels to implement the security agreements outlined in the Joint Fact Sheet (JFS) from previous summits. They emphasized that the South Korean government will continue to consult with the U.S. to ensure that Coupang-related issues do not negatively impact bilateral security discussions.
The ministry also affirmed that investigations into Coupang will be conducted in accordance with South Korean laws and due process, effectively rejecting U.S. demands.
It has been reported that since last month, the U.S. has been urging the South Korean government to prevent any travel bans, arrests, or detentions of Chairman Kim. The U.S. reportedly indicated that without such assurances, they would not engage in high-level diplomatic and security discussions between the two countries.
This situation is linked to ongoing talks about South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine program and amendments to the nuclear cooperation agreement, which have been delayed since January. Critics argue that these demands are inappropriate, as they attempt to connect South Korea’s judicial authority with bilateral diplomatic and security matters.
Meanwhile, police are investigating allegations of a massive data breach at Coupang involving 33 million personal records. They are also looking into potential evidence destruction and obstruction of business during the company’s internal investigation, which reportedly reduced the scale of the breach to just 3,000 cases.