South Korean premier in US amid probe into e-commerce company Coupang

​​​​​​​By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok began a visit to the US amid a Seoul-led probe into e-commerce company Coupang Inc., which prompted American investors to urge Washington to open an investigation, according to Seoul-based news agency Yonhap.

Kim traveled to Washington on Thursday for talks with officials, possibly including Vice President JD Vance, on a range of trade issues, including anticipated US tariffs on semiconductors.

It is Kim's first overseas trip as prime minister and the first standalone visit to the US by a South Korean premier since the late 1980s.

It comes after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently stated that memory chipmakers could be subject to new tariffs if they do not increase their manufacturing capacity in the US. As of 2024, South Korea held a 17.4% share of the global semiconductor equipment market and 16.6% share of the semiconductor materials market.

Yonhap, citing a US official, said the Trump administration would seek "separate" agreements on semiconductor tariffs for individual countries.

Meanwhile, Coupang on Friday denied any involvement in a petition filed by two US investment firms seeking a Washington-led investigation for Seoul’s "unreasonable" and "discriminatory" treatment.

The firms urged the US to impose "appropriate" trade remedies.

South Korean authorities have been investigating an incident in which the personal information of 33.7 million customers of Coupang has been estimated to be compromised.

The company has said that only the data about 3,000 customer accounts have been compromised.

Kim has said South Korea is not discriminating against Coupang.