South Korea’s chief trade negotiator told senior U.S. officials during a visit to Washington that it would be inappropriate to turn an investigation of Coupang into a bilateral trade dispute.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Thursday that Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo had met with U.S. lawmakers, industry groups and think tanks from Sunday to Wednesday and reported that South Korean authorities are thoroughly investigating a large-scale data breach at Coupang in accordance with the law.

In the meetings, the trade minister asked the representatives not to view the probe as an effort to exert pressure on U.S. firms or to allow it to expand into a bilateral trade issue.

Yeo also argued that recent revisions to South Korea’s Information and Communications Network Act and the proposed Online Platform Act do not constitute discriminatory or unnecessary barriers to U.S. companies' operation in South Korea.

The ministry said U.S. representatives expressed appreciation for Seoul’s proactive communication and requested assurance that American companies would not face discrimination or undue regulatory burdens in future digital legislation.

Yeo also discussed the implementation of nontariff agreements with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and agreed to maintain close coordination, regardless of the outcome of an upcoming Supreme Court decision on U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.