More than 70 Democratic Party lawmakers are set to deliver a protest letter to the U.S. Embassy. This action comes in response to the U.S. government’s unprecedented move to use legal safety demands for Coupang Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kim Beom-seok as leverage in security negotiations.
Political sources revealed on Monday that the Democratic Party’s floor leadership announced this initiative through a notice titled, Request for Joint Signature on Protest Letter Against U.S. Judicial Sovereignty Violation.
The joint signature campaign, spearheaded by floor deputy representatives Park Hong-bae and Kim Nam-kun, was scheduled to run until 4:00 p.m. that day. The plan includes holding a press conference at the National Assembly on Tuesday morning, followed by the delivery of the protest letter to the U.S. Embassy at 11:00 a.m.
The notice highlights the recent stance taken by the U.S. government, which threatened to suspend high-level consultations if guarantees for Kim’s personal safety were not provided. It characterizes this as an unprecedented attempt to link an individual entrepreneur’s legal risks with intergovernmental negotiations, calling it a clear violation of judicial sovereignty.
The document also references a letter sent by 54 Republican members of Congress to U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Kang Kyung-wha. The letter demanded an immediate halt to what they termed discriminatory regulations against U.S. companies like Coupang in South Korea. The notice warns that this issue transcends mere diplomatic conflict or sovereignty infringement, potentially jeopardizing labor rights and fair economic practices in Korea.
The lawmakers express deep concern that acquiescing to diplomatic protection requests for specific corporate leaders, while investigations into Coupang are ongoing, could set a dangerous precedent. They fear this might embolden multinational companies to attempt to circumvent domestic legal processes through diplomatic pressure in the future.
Representative Kim reported that over 70 lawmakers have joined the joint signature campaign thus far.
In an interview with News1, Representative Kim emphasized that this protest letter represents the collective voice of individual lawmakers, not the party leadership. He stated that the pressure exerted by certain U.S. lawmakers and officials, who have been lobbied by Coupang, on the government to refrain from sanctioning the company is a clear infringement on the judicial authority.