[INTERVIEW] Coupang issue becomes bellwether for Korea's treatment of US firms: ex-AMCHAM chief

Tami Overby, a former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, said Monday that perceptions of discrimination against U.S. companies, especially Coupang, risk damaging Korea-U.S. economic ties. She said Washington increasingly views Coupang’s treatment as a test of how Korea treats successful American firms and warned that regulatory disputes could weaken trust during negotiations over investment commitments and U.S. tariffs. Overby argued that investment alone cannot ease concerns and urged Korean authorities to demonstrate equal treatment through their actions.

Overby led AMCHAM as president and CEO from 1995 to 2009, later served as senior vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 2014 to 2017, and is now a partner at DGA Group.

The investment commitment discussed by Overby is $350 billion, and the proposed Alaska liquefied natural gas project was announced by the Trump administration as a $54 billion Korean investment, although Seoul said it had not officially agreed to it.

Coupang disclosed a data breach affecting more than 33 million customers last November, after which Korea’s Fair Trade Commission took enforcement actions against the company.

Overby cited Korea’s proposed digital platform legislation and the Cloud Security Assurance Program, which U.S. tech companies say limits their access to Korea’s public cloud market.

Seoul and Washington made a joint commitment last November that U.S. companies would not face discrimination or unnecessary barriers in digital services, online platform regulation, network usage fees and cross-border data transfers.

Published Oct 26, 2026 3:46 pm KST

Updated Oct 26, 2026 4:27 pm KST

Seoul advised to prove US firms face no discrimination as trade talks hang in balance

Coupang's logo is displayed at an office building in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Tami Overby, ex-president at AMCHAM / Courtesy of DGA Group

Korea risks damaging its economic ties with the United States, as perceived discrimination against American companies, most prominently Coupang, fuels a growing backlash in Washington that U.S. firms are being unfairly targeted, said Tami Overby, a former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM).

“Many American observers increasingly see Korea's treatment of Coupang as a bellwether for how it treats successful American firms operating in its market,” Overby said Monday in a written interview with The Korea Times.

After nearly four decades of observing Korea-U.S. economic ties, Overby said Washington is increasingly doubting whether Seoul remains committed to the principle of nondiscriminatory treatment for American businesses.

She cautioned that mounting regulatory disputes could erode the trust underpinning bilateral economic cooperation at a critical time when the two countries are negotiating major investment commitments and U.S. tariffs.

“Credibility depends not on statements but on outcomes,” she said, arguing that Korean authorities must demonstrate through their actions that U.S. companies receive equal treatment under domestic law.

She served as president and CEO of AMCHAM from 1995 to 2009 before becoming senior vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a position she held from 2014 to 2017. She is now a partner at Washington-based advisory firm DGA Group.

Her warning comes as the two governments navigate negotiations involving Korea's $350 billion investment commitment in the U.S., including the proposed Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The Donald Trump administration announced a $54 billion (71.6 trillion won) Korean investment in the project, although Seoul says it has not yet officially agreed.

Overby said those commitments deserve recognition, but cautioned that investment alone cannot offset Washington's concerns about regulatory treatment.

“The investment commitment is real and significant,” she said. “But investment alone cannot offset growing concerns about discrimination, regulatory targeting and strategic uncertainty.”

Fair Trade Commission Chairman Ju Biung-ghi answers questions from lawmakers during the National Assembly's annual audit in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Coupang has become a focal point of the dispute.

The U.S.-listed e-commerce company has faced enforcement actions by Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) since disclosing a massive data breach affecting more than 33 million customers last November. The issue has attracted scrutiny from U.S. policymakers concerned about how U.S. businesses are treated in Korea, despite repeated explanations from Korean authorities that they do not discriminate against companies based on nationality.

The trade expert said the case is increasingly being viewed in Washington as part of a repeated pattern rather than an isolated regulatory matter. She pointed to the Personal Information Protection Commission's penalty against Coupang, as well as the FTC's record of imposing large fines on American companies.

“Alliances are built on reciprocity,” she said. “Economic partnerships depend on trust. When one side repeatedly promises nondiscrimination while a growing body of evidence suggests otherwise, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain that trust.”

While Korean regulators may contend that individual cases are justified under domestic law, she said the cumulative pattern risks reinforcing perceptions that U.S. companies face disproportionate scrutiny.

The concerns extend beyond Coupang.

Overby cited Korea’s proposed digital platform legislation and restrictions affecting U.S. cloud service providers seeking public-sector contracts. Korea's Cloud Security Assurance Program has been a point of contention for U.S. tech companies, which argue that Korea-specific security requirements limit their access to the public cloud market.

Overby also pointed to a joint commitment made by Seoul and Washington last November that U.S. companies would not face discrimination or unnecessary barriers in areas including digital services, online platform regulation, network usage fees and cross-border data transfers.

Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk, also known as Bom Kim, poses at the New York Stock Exchange after listing the company, March 11, 2021. AP-Yonhap

She said subsequent regulatory and legislative developments risk undermining that commitment, making it harder for Seoul to reassure Washington that its rules are applied fairly.

“The U.S.-Korea relationship has weathered many challenges over the years,” she said. “The question now is whether Seoul recognizes the seriousness of the concerns emerging in Washington before those concerns begin to reshape the relationship itself.”

The dispute could take on greater significance if concerns over the treatment of U.S. companies spill over into broader bilateral talks.

Overby noted that some U.S. lawmakers have called for stronger responses to what they view as discriminatory treatment of American companies, including possible visa restrictions on foreign officials. While such proposals do not necessarily reflect established U.S. policy, their emergence highlights the issue’s growing political sensitivity in Washington, she said.

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韩国美国商会前会长塔米·奥弗比（Tami Overby）周一表示，外界对美国企业（尤其是Coupang公司）遭受歧视的认知，可能会损害韩美经济关系。她指出，华盛顿方面越来越将Coupang的遭遇视为韩国对待成功美国企业的试金石，并警告称，监管方面的争议可能会削弱双方在投资承诺和美国关税谈判中的信任。奥弗比认为，仅靠投资无法消除这些疑虑，并敦促韩国当局以实际行动证明其对美国企业的平等对待。

Overby 于 1995 年至 2009 年担任美国商会总裁兼首席执行官，之后于 2014 年至 2017 年担任美国商会亚洲高级副总裁，现在是 DGA 集团的合伙人。

Overby 讨论的投资承诺为 3500 亿美元，而拟议的阿拉斯加液化天然气项目被特朗普政府宣布为韩国 540 亿美元的投资，尽管首尔方面表示尚未正式同意。

去年 11 月，Coupang 披露了一起影响超过 3300 万客户的数据泄露事件，之后韩国公平交易委员会对该公司采取了执法行动。

Overby 提到了韩国拟议的数字平台立法和云安全保障计划，美国科技公司表示，这些立法和计划限制了它们进入韩国公共云市场。

去年11月，首尔和华盛顿共同承诺，美国公司在数字服务、在线平台监管、网络使用费和跨境数据传输方面不会面临歧视或不必要的障碍。

发布于2026年10月26日下午3:46（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月26日下午4:27（韩国标准时间）

首尔方面被建议证明美国企业未受到歧视，贸易谈判陷入僵局。

周四，Coupang的标志出现在首尔的一栋办公楼上。（韩联社）

美国商会前主席塔米·奥弗比 / 图片由DGA集团提供

韩国美国商会（AMCHAM）前会长塔米·奥弗比表示，韩国有可能损害其与美国的经济联系，因为人们认为美国公司（尤其是 Coupang 公司）受到了歧视，这加剧了华盛顿方面对美国公司受到不公平对待的强烈不满。

“许多美国观察人士越来越认为，韩国对待 Coupang 的方式，可以作为其对待在其市场上经营成功的美国公司的风向标，”奥弗比周一在接受《韩国时报》书面采访时表示。

在观察了近四十年的韩美经济关系后，奥弗比表示，华盛顿越来越怀疑首尔是否仍然致力于对美国企业实行非歧视性待遇的原则。

她警告说，在两国正就重大投资承诺和美国关税进行谈判的关键时期，不断增加的监管争端可能会削弱支撑双边经济合作的信任。

她表示，“信誉不在于声明，而在于结果”，并认为韩国当局必须通过实际行动证明，美国公司在韩国国内法律下受到平等对待。

她于 1995 年至 2009 年担任美国商会总裁兼首席执行官，之后于 2014 年至 2017 年担任美国商会亚洲高级副总裁。她现在是总部位于华盛顿的咨询公司 DGA Group 的合伙人。

在她发出警告之际，韩美两国政府正就韩国对美3500亿美元的投资承诺进行谈判，其中包括拟建的阿拉斯加液化天然气（LNG）项目。唐纳德·特朗普政府宣布韩国将向该项目投资540亿美元（71.6万亿韩元），但首尔方面表示尚未正式同意。

奥弗比表示，这些承诺值得肯定，但他同时警告说，仅靠投资无法消除华盛顿对监管待遇的担忧。

她表示：“投资承诺是真实且意义重大的。但仅靠投资无法消除人们对歧视、监管针对性和战略不确定性的日益增长的担忧。”

韩国公平交易委员会主席朱炳基周三在首尔举行的国会年度审计会议上回答议员提问。（韩联社）

Coupang 已成为这场争端的焦点。

这家在美国上市的电商公司自去年11月披露一起影响超过3300万用户的重大数据泄露事件以来，一直面临韩国公平交易委员会（FTC）的执法行动。尽管韩国当局一再解释不会基于国籍歧视企业，但此事仍引起了美国政策制定者的关注，他们担忧美国企业在韩国的待遇。

这位贸易专家表示，华盛顿方面越来越将此案视为一种反复出现的模式，而非孤立的监管事件。她指出，个人信息保护委员会曾对Coupang处以罚款，联邦贸易委员会也曾多次对美国公司处以巨额罚款。

“联盟建立在互惠的基础上，”她说。“经济伙伴关系依赖于信任。当一方一再承诺不歧视，而越来越多的证据表明事实并非如此时，维持这种信任就变得越来越困难。”

她表示，虽然韩国监管机构可能会辩称个别案件在国内法律下是合理的，但这种累积模式可能会加深人们对美国公司面临不成比例审查的看法。

这些担忧不仅限于 Coupang。

奥弗比指出，韩国拟议的数字平台立法及其对寻求公共部门合同的美国云服务提供商的限制，都对韩国云安全保障计划造成了影响。该计划一直是美国科技公司争论的焦点，这些公司认为韩国特有的安全要求限制了它们进入公共云市场。

奥弗比还指出，首尔和华盛顿去年 11 月共同承诺，美国公司在数字服务、在线平台监管、网络使用费和跨境数据传输等领域不会面临歧视或不必要的障碍。

Coupang创始人金范硕（Kim Bom-suk，又名Bom Kim）于2021年3月11日在纽约证券交易所公司上市后留影。（美联社-韩联社）

她表示，后续的监管和立法发展可能会破坏这一承诺，使首尔更难向华盛顿保证其规则得到公平执行。

“多年来，美韩关系经历了许多挑战，”她说。“现在的问题是，首尔能否在这些担忧开始重塑两国关系之前，认识到华盛顿方面所表达的关切的严重性。”

如果对美国公司待遇的担忧蔓延到更广泛的双边谈判中，这场争端可能会变得更加重要。

奥弗比指出，一些美国议员呼吁对他们眼中美国公司遭受的歧视性待遇采取更有力的回应，包括可能对外国官员实施签证限制。她表示，虽然这些提议未必反映出美国既定的政策，但它们的出现凸显了该问题在华盛顿日益增长的政治敏感性。

联邦贸易委员会对企业集团耗资巨大的打击行动收效甚微。

美国联邦贸易委员会主席：主席表示，美国政府对Coupang施加的压力并未动摇美国联邦贸易委员会的立场。

由于联邦贸易委员会驳回了Baemin和Coupang Eats的自我整改申请，两家公司或将面临巨额罚款。