Baumgartner Leads 54 Lawmakers Demanding South Korea Stop Targeting American Companies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Study Committee (RSC) member Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) today led 54 lawmakers, including RSC Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX), in sending a letter to South Korean Ambassador Kyung-wha Kang demanding an immediate end to discriminatory regulatory actions against American businesses operating in South Korea.

In the letter, the lawmakers reaffirmed the importance of the longstanding U.S.-South Korea economic partnership and national security alliance, while raising serious concerns about apparently discriminatory and politically motivated actions taken by the South Korean government against U.S. businesses.

"As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I'm concerned by the growing trend of protectionist legislative measures targeting U.S. technology leaders,” said Rep. Baumgartner.  “I’m proud to co-lead this letter to seek assurances that we are not seeing a new pattern: selective enforcement actions that single out American technology companies. This raises serious rule-of-law concerns and risks crossing into disguised protectionism."

"South Korea is a critical ally, and we expect them to hold up their end of the partnership," said RSC Chairman August Pfluger. "Discriminatory actions against American companies undermine our economic relationship and risk ceding ground to China. South Korea made commitments. It's time to honor them.”

The letter, led by Rep. Baumgartner with critical support from Rep. Darrell Issa, was also signed by Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11), Rep. John Rose (TN-06), Rep. Mike Haridopolos (FL-08), Rep. Daniel Webster (FL-11), Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22), Rep. Jack Bergman (MI-01), Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Rep. Dave Taylor (OH-02), Rep. Mike Ezell (MS-04), Rep. Tim Burchett (TN-02), Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01), Rep. Rick Crawford (AR-01), Rep. Sheri Biggs (SC-03), Rep. Pat Harrigan (NC-10), Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08), Rep. Young Kim (CA-40), Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03), Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06), Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19), Rep. John McGuire (VA-05), Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Rep. Dan Meuser (PA-09), Rep. Gregory F. Murphy (NC-03), Rep. Carol D. Miller (WV-01), Rep. Rich McCormick (GA-07), Rep. Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Rep. Addison McDowell (NC-06), Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04), Rep. Mike Collins (GA-10), Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Rep. Ann Wagner (MO-02), Rep. Mark Alford (MO-04), Rep. Josh Brecheen (OK-02), Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), Rep. Brad Finstad (MN-01), Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06), Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (AL-04), Rep. Riley Moore (WV-02), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01), Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05), Rep. Troy Downing (MT-02), Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08), Rep. William R. Timmons IV (SC-04), and Rep. Mike Flood (NE-01).

Read the full letter here or below:

Dear Ambassador Kang:

We write to express our strong commitment to the longstanding economic partnership and national security alliance between the United States (U.S.) and the Republic of Korea (ROK). We seek to continue our decades of friendship well into the future and hope that can make our countries more prosperous and secure through our partnership than without it.

In light of the bonds of trust between our two great nations, we are deeply concerned by the ROK government’s targeted and discriminatory actions against U.S. companies. Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition. Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.

The Trump Administration has repeatedly raised concerns on behalf of American companies with the South Korean government and went so far as to include language in the recent U.S.-South Korea trade agreement in which your government agreed to not discriminate against or disadvantage American companies. The Joint Fact Sheet for the agreement stated:

“The United States and the ROK commit to ensure that U.S. companies are not discriminated against and do not face unnecessary barriers in terms of laws and policies concerning digital services, including network usage fees and online platform regulations, and to facilitate cross-border transfer of data, including for location, reinsurance and personal data…Korea commits to provide additional procedural fairness provisions in competition proceedings, including the recognition of attorney-client privilege.” 

Unfortunately, this commitment has been ignored by the ROK government, which has continued to disadvantage American companies. This is unacceptable.

The systematic targeting of American companies such as Apple, Google, Meta, and Coupang is particularly concerning because these businesses serve as an important economic bridge between our two countries.  For example, Coupang has consistently been the largest source of U.S. foreign direct investment into Korea over the past decade and now sells many billions of dollars in U.S. goods and agricultural products to Korean customers each year.

Unfortunately, the ROK recently leveraged a low-sensitivity data leak in November 2025 as a pretext to launch a whole-of-government assault on Coupang, including threats to revoke the company’s business licenses, indiscriminate raids on the company’s Seoul offices, burdensome new regulatory requirements, punishing fines, unprecedented tax audits, and pressure on public pension funds to divest their Coupang holdings.

We are committed to ensuring that your government ceases its persecution of Coupang and other American companies operating in South Korea. The stakes for American economic and security interests are enormous.

Equally concerning is South Korea’s increasing integration with large Chinese companies. If your government’s current efforts to push American companies from the country’s online retail market succeeds, then the vacuum would quickly be filled by Chinese platforms like Temu, Alibaba, and Shein, who receive preferential treatment due to their lucrative partnerships with Korean companies. These Chinese companies are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party, and their dominance in the region would have unacceptable security consequences.

As you know, the United States has been a close friend and partner to South Korea for many decades. We continue to work closely on national security issues, with 30,000 troops stationed in your country demonstrating our commitment to your security. Furthermore, South Korean businesses are welcomed into the United States and thrive here, benefiting your economic interests, while also providing benefits to the American people through your investment in the United States. However, our government does not subject South Korean companies to the kind of politically motivated attacks that our companies have faced repeatedly from your government.

To avoid further tensions in our bilateral relationship, and to ensure the United States Congress remains supportive of our countries’ important economic and national security partnership, we ask your government to end its targeted assault of American companies immediately.

Sincerely,

Rep. Michael Baumgartner (WA-05), Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11), Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-48), Rep. John Rose (TN-06), Rep. Mike Haridopolos (FL-08), Rep. Daniel Webster (FL-11), Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22), Rep. Jack Bergman (MI-01), Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Rep. Dave Taylor (OH-02), Rep. Mike Ezell (MS-04), Rep. Tim Burchett (TN-02), Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01), Rep. Rick Crawford (AR-01), Rep. Sheri Biggs (SC-03), Rep. Pat Harrigan (NC-10), Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08), Rep. Young Kim (CA-40), Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03), Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06), Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19), Rep. John McGuire (VA-05), Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Rep. Dan Meuser (PA-09), Rep. Gregory F. Murphy (NC-03), Rep. Carol D. Miller (WV-01), Rep. Rich McCormick (GA-07), Rep. Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Rep. Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Rep. Addison McDowell (NC-06), Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04), Rep. Mike Collins (GA-10), Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Rep. Michael Rulli (OH-06), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Rep. Ann Wagner (MO-02), Rep. Mark Alford (MO-04), Rep. Josh Brecheen (OK-02), Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), Rep. Brad Finstad (MN-01), Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06), Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (AL-04), Rep. Riley Moore (WV-02), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01), Rep. Bob Latta (OH-05), Rep. Troy Downing (MT-02), Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08), Rep. William R. Timmons IV (SC-04), Rep. Mike Flood (NE-01).