Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly engaged in 18 trades involving Coupang Inc. shares from October to May, according to his recent financial disclosure reports. These transactions come amid escalating tensions between Seoul and Washington over South Korea's regulatory probes into a significant data breach involving the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant. According to Yonhap News Agency, the financial disclosure reports, released in May and this month, were filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE). They indicate that Trump traded Coupang shares through two investment accounts from October 9 to May 22. These trades suggest that Trump potentially holds Coupang shares valued at up to $130,000. Trump's stock transactions have attracted attention as criticism grows in the U.S. over South Korean authorities' handling of Coupang's data leak scandal. A House Judiciary Committee staff report and a White House official recently criticized the probes as "discriminatory." The reports detail t hat Trump purchased Coupang shares worth between $1,001 and $15,000 on October 9, followed by another purchase valued between $50,001 and $100,000 on the same day. The disclosure reports list transaction values in ranges rather than exact figures. Additional trades include the purchase of shares valued between $1,001 and $15,000 on October 16, December 11, and December 18. Trump also sold Coupang shares in several transactions, with values ranging from $1,001 to $50,000, between October and November. In 2023, Trump continued trading Coupang shares, with significant purchases and sales occurring in January and February. These transactions imply that he could own up to $130,000 worth of Coupang stock on the books. The White House has not responded to requests for comment from Yonhap News Agency regarding these trades. Some of Trump's Coupang stock transactions coincide with U.S. government and congressional criticism of South Korean authorities' investigations into Coupang's data breach, which reportedly af fected over 33 million users in South Korea. The House Judiciary Committee recently issued an interim staff report accusing the South Korean government of "discriminatory attacks" on Coupang and other American-owned businesses, alleging that Coupang has been a "consistent target." A White House official echoed these concerns, stating that Coupang is being "singled out" by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration. The official expressed concern over what he termed "discriminatory" targeting of the company. There is ongoing concern that Coupang's extensive lobbying activities in the U.S. could further escalate diplomatic tensions over South Korea's legal procedures regarding the data breach. Lobbying Disclosure Act reports on the Senate website revealed in April that Coupang had spent over $1 million on lobbying activities in the U.S., including efforts involving the White House and Congress, since its data leak scandal emerged in November. In a related development, an OGC filing released in J anuary 2025 showed that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer received a $10,000 honorarium from Coupang on May 17, 2024, while working as a partner at the law firm King and Spalding.
