National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Wednesday rebutted a report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee alleging that the Korean government was targeting Coupang, saying, "If a similar case in which 33 million pieces of personal information were leaked had occurred in the United States, it would surely be a serious issue in the U.S. as well." Wi added, "We do not treat corporate activities discriminatorily based on nationality, nor do we target anyone for investigation."
In a briefing at the Chunchugwan press center that day, Wi stressed, "The Coupang investigation is being conducted in a non-discriminatory manner, in accordance with domestic law and due process. The report's claim that this investigation is discriminatory and conducted in a targeted manner differs greatly from the facts."
Wi particularly noted that the 33 million pieces of personal information had been leaked by a former Chinese employee, pointing out, "Among them, there could be information on Americans living in Korea. Yet it has still not been confirmed how that information was used afterward. We do not know where the leaked information went."
He continued, "Suppose a similar data leak had occurred in the United States. Suppose personal information equivalent to two-thirds of the U.S. population had been leaked to China. And suppose no one knew where it went. It would surely be a serious issue in the United States," he stressed. "We intend to investigate, because we have grave concerns."
Regarding the U.S. House Judiciary Committee report, Wi dismissed the claim, saying, "It is written as if the Blue House, including the president, knew in advance that (the National Intelligence Service) had ordered Coupang to recover equipment locally. This too is entirely untrue." He also said, "The Presidential Office (Blue House) neither knew in advance of nor ordered the recovery of Coupang's personal data leak evidence and equipment from China." He added, "Around mid-December (last year), I heard that a Coupang official had recovered this (device), and that was the first time."
Wi said, "The report appears to reflect only the account of the corporate stakeholder involved, but that company is a subject of investigation and a suspect in Korea." He explained repeatedly, "If (the U.S.) only heard that side's account, we will resolve this by communicating and having our account reflected as well." He continued, "We are actively responding. We are working to set the facts straight and are conducting the necessary consultations," adding, "We expect the government to hold consultations with the U.S. side."
Asked whether the Coupang situation would affect Korea-U.S. security consultations, Wi added, "I will work to ensure this matter does not grow excessively and cause fallout on Korea-U.S. relations," and, "I will work to insulate or separate the issue so that it does not affect various other issues between Korea and the U.S."
