In the wake of Washington DC and Seoul signing a joint factsheet meant to reset trade tensions and stop discriminatory treatment of U.S. tech companies in South Korea, a pair of powerful Korean officials are already signaling they may torpedo the entire agreement — all to advance burdensome, one-sided tech regulations that overwhelmingly target American firms while giving Korean and Chinese tech giants a free pass.
According to Politico, the Trump Administration has privately warned Suth Korea that the U.S. is prepared to launch a Section 301 trade investigation if their government pushes ahead with these policies. Yet key Korean lawmakers and regulators appear ready to test Washington’s resolve.
Kim Nam-geun, one of the most vocal champions of expanding Korean power over foreign tech companies, wasted no time openly rejecting the premise of the new bilateral understanding. Kim bragged that the agreement “does not prevent Seoul from tightening platform rules,” and pressed the government to “actively support renewed parliamentary debate” on sweeping new online-platform restrictions aimed squarely at U.S. companies.
Kim even pointed to comments from leftist South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s top policy advisor, Kim Yong-beom, who asserted that Korea’s domestic legislation “will not be hindered” by the trade factsheet — a statement that directly contradicts the spirit of the agreement and raises fresh doubts about Seoul’s good faith.
Meanwhile, during a parliamentary hearing on November 17, a senior Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) official openly demanded new legislative authority to crack down on “dominant platforms” —just days after the factsheet was published. Breitbart News previously reported on the KFTC’s targeting of American tech companies.
At the center of this aggressive posture is Korea’s new Fair Trade Commission Chairman, Ju Byung-ki, whose ideological hostility to American capitalism is well-documented. Shortly before assuming the helm of the KFTC, Ju published an essay titled “Trump’s Tariff War is a Trick to Cover Up the Disease of American Society.” In it, Ju launches a string of attacks on the Trump administration, including:
- “The Trump administration’s tariff war is just a shallow trick to solve internal problems by covering the deep ills of American society and brushing the pockets of other countries and foreign companies.”
- “Trump is using the energy of this anger politically. He chose an easy way to turn the arrow out— attacking external enemies—to rally supporters.”
- “The cause of [Midwestern/white workers’] sense of deprivation is not beyond the border… The deepening income inequality and class gap over the past few decades are the real ‘enemies’ that made American society sick.”
- “The negligence of globalization was focused on the financial capitalists of Wall Street and the technology elite of Silicon Valley.”
- “Trump’s protectionism will cause a global economic recession.”
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has warned that unfairly targeting U.S. tech companies “won’t be tolerated,” and “There is no good path forward where Korean regulations treat U.S. companies more restrictively,” than domestic firms.
Industry estimates that Korea’s proposed platform regulation bills would impact $109B in total market revenues for U.S. companies, according to CCIA.
The policies also impact American consumers. Research from Competere shows that Korea’s actions will cost $1 trillion in economic damage over the next 10 years, with the U.S. bearing the majority of that cost, resulting in American households losing roughly $3,800 each.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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