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By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Yonhap) — U.S. lobbying reports showed Thursday that e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. has spent more than US$1 million on lobbying activities in the United States, including efforts involving the White House and Congress, since its massive data leak scandal in South Korea erupted in November.
On the Senate website for Lobbying Disclosure Act reports, Coupang, a U.S.-listed firm, has filed a report that it had spent $1.09 million during the first quarter of this year.
A report by a lobbying firm representing Coupang showed that its activities involved the Executive Office of the President, the Vice President, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative.
The report came amid concerns that Coupang’s extensive lobbying in the U.S. could undermine Seoul’s efforts to strengthen the long-standing bilateral alliance with Washington in the face of shared challenges, including North Korea’s nuclear threats.
In Washington in January, South Korea’s Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. After the meeting, Kim told reporters that Vance requested that Seoul and Washington manage the issue well to ensure that the Coupang case would not cause misunderstandings between the two governments.
Regarding lobbying issues, Coupang said in its report that its activities involved discussions about the expanded use of Coupang’s digital, retail and logistics offerings by American small- and medium-sized firms and other businesses, as well as U.S. job creation and economic growth.
Lobbying companies said in their reports that their activities concerned U.S. export promotion and efforts to increase trade and investment flows between countries in North America, Asia, and Europe.
The headquarters of Coupang Corp. (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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