South Korea police conducting search and seizure at Coupang, Yonhap reports (updated)

Coupang

29/01/2026 02:28

Adds no comment from Coupang, police, lawmaker in paragraph 3, background throughout

SEOUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - South Korean police are conducting a search and seizure operation at e-commerce company Coupang CPNG.N related to a corruption probe into a member of parliament, Yonhap news reported on Thursday.

Kim Byung-kee, who was previously the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party, has been under investigation over several allegations that include a suspicion that he tried to exercise influence for personal gains.

The police declined to comment on the reported search. Coupang's South Korean office and an official at Kim's office also declined to comment.

Kim is accused of having met a Coupang executive over a personal matter in violation of an ethics law that governs public officials' conduct.

Coupang's South Korean operation is under a separate government
investigation
 over a massive leak of local customer
data
 that triggered a backlash from the public and lawmakers.

Subsequently, two major U.S. investors of U.S.-listed Coupang Inc., the parent company that generates most of its revenue in South Korea, have petitioned the U.S. government over what they said was discriminatory treatment of a U.S. company.

U.S. members of Congress and officials have
expressed concern
 about the probe into the data leak. South Korean officials said regulators are handling the Coupang case in the same way that any Korean company would be.

 (Reporting by Jack Kim, Kyu-seok Shim; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Michael Perry)

 ((jack.kim@thomsonreuters.com; +822 6936 1455;))