Many of the U.S. lawmakers Jang Dong-hyeok met received ‘intensive lobbying’ from Coupang - 경향신문
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Full review of U.S. donation records
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, who is visiting the United States, meets with U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty in Washington, D.C., on the 15th (local time). Provided by the People Power Party
It was confirmed on the 28th that many of the U.S. House and Senate members whom People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok met during his visit to the United States had received support from Coupang. After meeting them, Jang said, "The U.S. side expressed concern about the Coupang situation." Critics say Jang conveyed the views of some lawmakers who had received Coupang lobbying as if they represented overall U.S. opinion.
A full review conducted by the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 28th of the Coupang corporate political action committee (PAC) ‘2025-2026 fiscal year disbursements’ filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) found that Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, Rep. Young Kim, chair of the House Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, Rep. Adrian Smith, and Sen. Bill Hagerty all of whom Jang met each received $5,000 (about 7.4 million KRW) in support from Coupang. $5,000 is the maximum annual contribution permitted under U.S. federal law.
In particular, the contributions to these lawmakers were concentrated between last November and last month, when Jang was preparing his U.S. trip. Reps. Darrell Issa and Adrian Smith and Chair Young Kim (leadership PAC) received contributions on November 21 last year, and Sen. Bill Hagerty received funds on the 13th of last month. In addition, Coupang also gave $15,000 each to Republican campaign committees including the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
After meeting them and returning home, Jang said that concern about Coupang is high in the United States. At a press briefing on the 20th after his U.S. visit, he said, "The U.S. side expressed concern about the Coupang situation. They strongly believe that American companies are being discriminated against compared with Chinese-affiliated firms." He added that there had also been a request to "create a nondiscriminatory environment in Korea," relaying pro-Coupang sentiment in the United States.
Sen. Ted Cruz, whom Kim Dae-sik a People Power Party lawmaker serving as head of the special advisory group for the U.S. visit urged Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others to "be sure to meet and communicate with" in a Facebook post on the 23rd, also received support from Coupang last August.
Beyond its political action committee, Coupang also poured significant money into U.S. politics through lobbying firms. According to disclosures filed under the U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act, Coupang spent a total of $1,785,000 (about 2,645,190,000 KRW) on lobbying in the first quarter of this year. That is roughly double the $895,000 reported for the fourth quarter of last year. The targets of its lobbying contacts included not only the U.S. Congress but also the executive branch broadly, as well as the White House.
On the 21st, 54 Republican members of the U.S. House sent a letter to South Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, urging Seoul to "immediately halt discriminatory regulatory actions against U.S. companies operating in Korea" and asserting that "the systematic targeting of U.S. companies such as Apple, Google, Meta, and Coupang is particularly concerning." A press release distributed with the letter stated that it "received the decisive (critical) support of Rep. Darrell Issa."
