Rogers Testifies Before U.S. Congress... Coupang Inc. Says "We Regret the Situation in Korea and Are Seeking a Resolution"

Head of Coupang Korea gives closed-door testimony before U.S. House
Testimony lasts about seven hours...remains silent on reporters' questions
Coupang parent company says it "hopes to serve as a bridge between the two countries"

Harold Rogers, CEO of Coupang Korea, appeared as a witness before the U.S. House of Representatives and gave closed-door testimony regarding the situation in Korea surrounding the massive personal data leak. Coupang Inc., Coupang’s parent company, expressed regret over the situation in Korea that has led to this congressional testimony.

Rogers Harold, interim CEO of Coupang Korea (center), is entering the U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing room in Washington, D.C., on the 23rd (local time) to give closed-door testimony. Yonhap News

On the 23rd (local time), following CEO Rogers’ testimony before the U.S. Congress, Coupang Inc. issued a statement in the name of Robert Porter, Chief Global Affairs Officer, saying, “We regret the situation in Korea that has resulted in today’s U.S. House hearing,” and added, “We are still working to find a constructive resolution.”

The statement continued, “More broadly, we hope that Coupang can serve as a bridge between the United States and Korea,” adding, “Through this, we hope to help improve economic relations between the two countries, strengthen the security alliance, promote trade and investment, and contribute to the interests of both nations.”

On this day, CEO Rogers gave closed-door testimony for about seven hours until around 5 p.m. during the hearing. After finishing his testimony, he did not answer reporters’ questions such as “What kind of questions did the committee ask?”, “How did you respond?”, and “What were the committee’s main concerns?”

The hearing was held under the auspices of the Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust of the House Judiciary Committee. Earlier, in a subpoena sent to CEO Rogers, Jim Jordan, Republican chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Scott Fitzgerald, chair of the Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, wrote, “Despite a recent trade agreement reached with the Trump administration, in which the Korean government committed to avoid discriminatory treatment of U.S. companies and the creation of unnecessary barriers, it has continued to carry out targeted attacks.” They also argued, “The Korean government’s move to single out Coupang and seek to indict an American executive is directly at odds with its recent commitments.”

It is possible that CEO Rogers also appealed at the hearing that the Korean government has discriminated against and attempted to punish him and Coupang. Rogers and Coupang are currently under police investigation in Korea over various allegations and suspicions, including downplaying the scale of the data leak, destruction of evidence, perjury before the National Assembly, and concealment of industrial accidents.

Some observers interpret this hearing as an extension of lobbying efforts aimed at shielding Coupang and pressuring the Korean government. As an American company, Coupang has engaged in extensive lobbying targeting the U.S. Congress. Attention is focusing on how this will affect Korea-U.S. trade relations in the current phase, marked by the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling against reciprocal tariffs and former President Donald Trump’s attempts to impose new tariffs using alternative tools such as Sections 122 and 301 of the Trade Act.

However, the Korean government’s position is that this hearing in the U.S. Congress is not an issue that should escalate into a “diplomatic matter” between Korea and the United States, but rather a situation in which members of Congress who have been lobbied by Coupang are handling the case in a way that puts pressure on the Korean government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.