South Korea says security talks with U.S. should not be linked to Coupang probe

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said ​on Wednesday (April 22, 2026) that ongoing talks with the U.S. over a security ⁠agreement should proceed separately from issues related to an investigation into U.S.-listed e-commerce company Coupang Inc.

The Ministry commented in response to a media report that Washington has ‌threatened to halt security talks unless Seoul provided legal guarantees for the safety of Coupang’s Chairman Kim Bom during a probe into the leaking ‌of customer information at the company.