Rubio says treatment of U.S. firms affects Korea trade deal
· UPIJune 4 (Asia Today) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that South Korea's treatment of American companies has affected Washington's ability to conclude a trade agreement with Seoul.
Rubio made the remarks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, where he also addressed Republican claims that South Korea is moving in a pro-China and left-leaning direction. Rubio said the United States respects the sovereign choices made by voters in democratic countries but must engage when actions by those governments affect U.S. interests.
The hearing was held to review the State Department's budget request and the implementation of the Trump administration's "America First" foreign policy.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said during the hearing that South Korean democracy had "taken a strong bent to the left" and was "opening up more avenues toward China." He also claimed South Korea had begun to "oppress" a number of U.S. companies, including Meta and Coupang.
Rubio responded by saying democratic countries sometimes elect leaders more favorable to U.S. interests and sometimes choose leaders with different views.
"If it is a legitimate election and those are the leaders they have chosen, then we respect the sovereign choice of the people of that country," Rubio said.
He said that is one of the unique aspects of dealing with democracies, adding that the United States often sees similar situations in the Western Hemisphere.
Rubio also explained Washington's approach toward democratic allies whose elected leaders take positions contrary to U.S. interests.
"When democratically elected leaders take positions against our interests, that does not mean that we want to overthrow that government or remove them," Rubio said. "It simply means that we need to engage on the fact that they are doing things that trigger our national interests."
Rubio made the comment in the broader context of left-wing governments in South America and did not single out South Korea in that part of his answer.
Rubio then linked the issue of U.S. companies operating in South Korea to bilateral trade talks.
"Frankly, I think it has impacted our ability to reach a trade agreement with Korea, because of some of their attitudes toward American companies," Rubio said.
He added that U.S. firms are not facing difficulties only in South Korea.
"The European Union is targeting our technology companies and taking unfair actions against them," Rubio said.
During the hearing, Issa asked that a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Sunday, titled "South Korea Takes a Hard Left Turn Away From America," be entered into the congressional record. The request was accepted.
The column, written by Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute and Lawrence Peck of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, described the Lee Jae-myung government as hard-left and warned that it could negatively affect the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
Rubio also discussed security and economic cooperation between Seoul and Washington.
On shipbuilding cooperation, Rubio said part of the U.S.-South Korea arrangement includes the ability to build some vessels in South Korea rather than only in the United States.
"That will help us," Rubio said.
Asked about U.S. readiness on the Korean Peninsula, Rubio said Washington's posture remains unchanged.
"Our posture remains in place," he said. "We are not trying to trigger a crisis or war."
Issa has repeatedly voiced opposition to South Korea's moves to regulate online platforms. He also reportedly played a leading role when Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the South Korean government urging it to stop what they described as discriminatory regulation against Coupang. Issa also met with People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok during Jang's visit to Washington in April.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260604010001160