Prime minister dismisses Coupang's accusation against Korean government

A Coupang investor and board member threatened Thursday to file an international lawsuit against Korea, alongside another U.S. investor. The move appears to be losing steam after the Korean government called the claims groundless and the company distanced itself from the dispute. The investors’ move has further fueled negative public sentiment toward Coupang, which is believed to have tried to exert indirect pressure on the government to halt investigations into alleged labor, financial, and tax violations, as well as a massive data breach last November affecting more than 33.7 million users. The prime minister’s office said Friday that the U.S. investors distorted remarks made by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Dec. 19, 2025. In a letter sent by Greenoaks Capital Partners and Altimeter Capital Management to President Lee Jae Myung via the U.S. law firm Covington & Burling, the investors claimed that Kim urged regulators to approach enforcement against Coupang for the data breach "with the same determination used to wipe out mafias" and "impose strong economic sanctions" without worr