The Trump administration warns South Korea not to target American technology companies, specifically naming the e-commerce platform Coupang in South Korea

After U.S. President Trump announced an increase in tariffs on South Korean exports to the U.S. on automobiles, timber, pharmaceuticals, and other goods from 15% to 25%, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that U.S. Vice President Pence warned South Korean President Lee Jae-myung not to implement discriminatory regulations and investigations against U.S. tech companies, specifically mentioning the U.S. e-commerce company Coupang operating in South Korea.

According to sources, the U.S. and South Korea have recently discussed matters involving Coupang multiple times. The company's business model is similar to Amazon, and although it is headquartered in the U.S., almost all of its operations are conducted in South Korea.

Sources indicated that U.S.-South Korea consultations also cover platform regulation and artificial intelligence-related rules, affecting several U.S. tech companies, including Meta (META.US) subsidiary Facebook and Google parent company Alphabet (GOOGL.US)