Coupang investors petition U.S. to probe Korea over handling of data breach

Two major U.S. investors in Coupang urged the U.S. government to investigate Korea and consider trade action over what they describe as discriminatory treatment of the e-commerce firm, Reuters reported Thursday.

Coupang's Korean headquarters in Songpa District, southern Seoul, is pictured on Dec. 9, 2025. [NEWS1]

Two major U.S. investors in Coupang urged the U.S. government to investigate Korea and consider trade action over what they describe as discriminatory treatment of the e-commerce firm, Reuters reported Thursday.

The investors, Greenoaks Capital and Altimeter Capital, said they had submitted a petition to the Office of the United States Trade Representative requesting an investigation into Korea’s actions related to Coupang and calling for trade remedies, including tariffs and other measures, according to the report.

The two firms have also filed a request for arbitration against the Korean government under the Korea-U.S. FTA, Reuters said.

The investors argue that Korean authorities launched a campaign targeting Coupang following a personal data breach at the company, claiming that the actions led to losses amounting to billions of dollars for investors.

The move follows Coupang’s disclosure in November of a major data breach that compromised the personal information of about 33.7 million users.

The breach and Coupang’s subsequent response, including founder Bom Kim’s failure to appear at parliamentary hearings and the company's offer of compensation coupons, drew strong backlash from lawmakers and the public.

Korean authorities, along with outside experts, are investigating the company, which generates about 90 percent of its sales in Korea.

On Sunday, the Blue House said the ongoing probe into Coupang should not be viewed as a broader trade issue with the United States, citing the “unprecedented” scale of the data leak and saying the investigations are “in line with applicable laws.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JUNG SI-NAE [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]