On Monday, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok addressed claims that President Donald Trump’s renewed pressure to increase tariffs was influenced by Coupang’s lobbying efforts. Kim stated that, based on actual verification, some domestic media outlets had misinterpreted the situation.
During a New Year’s press conference at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Seoul’s Jongno district, Kim explained that the issue reflects a certain level of dissatisfaction from President Trump and the U.S. administration regarding the pace of implementing agreed-upon tariff negotiations, or a request for expedited progress.
Kim emphasized that some South Korean media outlets had inaccurately portrayed Vice President JD Vance as issuing a stern warning to Coupang, making it appear as if this was a primary concern for the U.S. government. He clarified that this representation is entirely false, stating that while this may be Coupang’s perspective, it differs from the confirmed stance of the U.S. government.
Regarding future measures related to Coupang, Kim affirmed that as the South Korean government officials have stated, it will handle legal matters in accordance with Korean law and the government’s position. It has agreed to maintain open communication to prevent misunderstandings or escalation into bilateral trade issues, and it will continue to do so.
Addressing the timing of President Trump’s tariff pressure, which came shortly after Kim’s visit to Washington, D.C. at the invitation of U.S. Vice President Vance to establish a hotline, Kim speculated that most individuals, except for the Commerce Secretary and the President himself, were likely unaware of this message beforehand.
He further commented on criticisms of diplomatic failure, saying that some are calling this a diplomatic failure on its part. However, given that it wes unaware beforehand, and there seems to have been insufficient communication within the U.S. government itself, it wouldn’t be fair to label this as a failure of the diplomacy. This was simply President Trump’s unique way of communicating his message.