Small Business Sector Urges Coupang to Halt Astronomical U.S. Lobbying and Compensate Victims

"Spent $10,755,000 Over Four Years"

The small business community has urged Coupang, which caused a massive personal information leak, to halt its astronomical lobbying efforts in the U.S. Congress and instead focus on compensating the victims.

On the day of the National Assembly Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee hearing regarding the Coupang personal information leak incident, a view of a Coupang logistics center in downtown Seoul.

On the 27th, the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises issued a statement saying, "Despite the enormous damage suffered by small business owners on the platform, Coupang remains unmoved. Recently, even the U.S. Vice President has reportedly addressed the Coupang issue," adding, "Media reports have revealed that Coupang's arrogant actions are backed by extensive lobbying efforts targeting the U.S. government, Congress, and other influential bodies."

The statement continued, "According to media reports, Coupang Inc. has spent $10,755,000 (approximately 15.9 billion won) on lobbying over the four years since its listing. The targets of its lobbying efforts include the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the Department of Commerce, the National Security Council (NSC), and the White House, among others."

The federation further criticized, "Coupang is using funds earned in Korea to spend astronomical amounts on lobbying U.S. Congress and other entities, focusing solely on protecting its own interests. Meanwhile, in Korea, Coupang abuses its dominant position as an online platform, imposing excessive fees and advertising costs on small business owners and ignoring their outcries over various unfair practices."

As practical measures for recovery, the federation proposed: ▲ establishing effective measures to prevent a recurrence of the personal information leak incident; ▲ providing compensation to small business owners affected by the Coupang incident; and ▲ thoroughly reviewing platform abuses and the fee structure to establish a fair trading order.

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