Republican lawmaker pushes bill to bar foreign officials who target US firms, citing Coupang Inc

A bill that would bar foreign government officials who discriminatorily regulate US companies from entering the United States has been introduced in the House of Representatives. The Republican lawmaker behind the measure cited the Korea Fair Trade Commission's sanctions against Coupang Inc as a prime example, raising the prospect that the issue could spill over into broader trade tensions between Seoul and Washington.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) introduced legislation Monday to amend US immigration law to make foreign government officials who discriminatorily regulate American companies subject to entry bans and deportation.

The bill would allow the United States to restrict entry for foreign officials who lead discriminatory investigations, fines, tax impositions or other regulatory actions targeting US companies.

Baumgartner cited the Fair Trade Commission's sanctions against Coupang Inc as a leading example when explaining the rationale behind the legislation.

"South Korean authorities conducted dozens of investigations into Coupang, a US-owned company, demanded thousands of document submissions, and then imposed the largest fine in the agency's history," he said.

He also cited Brazil's regulation of US IT companies and the EU's sanctions against Google under the Digital Markets Act as additional examples of discriminatory treatment of American firms.

"Denying foreign officials who discriminate against US companies the 'privilege' of entering America is a more practical response than a US Trade Representative probe or renegotiating trade agreements," Baumgartner said.

Baumgartner has been a persistent critic within the Republican Party of the South Korean government's regulation of Coupang Inc. In April, he joined 53 fellow Republican lawmakers in sending a letter to South Korean Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha alleging that the South Korean government had taken discriminatory and politically motivated actions against US companies.

In that letter, the Republican lawmakers cited the consideration of a business suspension order against Coupang Inc, a search and seizure of its Seoul office, fines and a tax audit as examples of discriminatory regulation.

The bill comes amid reports that Coupang Inc has been mounting an active lobbying campaign targeting the US government and Congress.

Documents released by the US Senate show that Coupang Inc lobbied the White House, the House of Representatives and other federal bodies in the second quarter through a firm connected to people with ties to President Donald Trump.

Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Senate released disclosures on July 15 showing Coupang Inc paid $250,000 to lobbying firm Ballard Partners in the second quarter.

The lobbying targets were the White House, the House of Representatives and the Office of the US Trade Representative.