Trump Adviser: "Regulating Coupang Is Discrimination Against U.S. Companies"

Former Trump Administration National Security Advisor
Robert O'Brien Criticizes National Assembly's "Targeting of Coupang"

Robert O'Brien, who served as National Security Advisor during the first Donald Trump administration in the United States, has criticized the South Korean National Assembly's move to regulate Coupang, which has come under fire for a massive customer data breach.

On December 23 (local time), O'Brien wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "The South Korean National Assembly's aggressive targeting of Coupang will pave the way for additional discriminatory measures by the Korea Fair Trade Commission and create broader regulatory barriers for American companies."

Yonhap News Agency

He continued, "President Donald Trump has worked to rebalance trade relations with South Korea," adding, "It would be very unfortunate if South Korea undermines those efforts by targeting American tech companies."

He also stated, "A strong and coordinated American response is essential to ensure fair treatment for U.S. companies and to maintain strategic balance against China's growing influence in this sector."

Coupang's Korean subsidiary is 100% owned by its U.S.-listed parent company, Coupang Inc. Coupang Inc., the parent company, donated $1 million to President Trump's second inauguration in January and has spent a total of $10.39 million on lobbying activities in the United States over the past five years.

Previously, on November 29, Coupang announced that information from approximately 33.7 million customer accounts had been leaked, including names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and some order information.