Europeans are learning a painful lesson. Just this week, the EU slammed Google with a roughly $1 billion fine for Digital Markets Act violations involving its Google Play app store and search practices that deliberately favor European competitors over American innovation. These and other heavy-handed EU regulations unfairly targeting U.S. e-commerce and tech giants are now actively denying European consumers access to advanced American technology—including the new Siri AI system, which will soon roll out on iPhones and iPads in the United States, and Google’s Gemini AI system.
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Not only do similar South Korean actions against American firms risk cutting off South Korean consumers from new technologies in e-commerce, mapping, cloud services, and other sectors, but they also threaten to undermine the vital U.S.-South Korea defense alliance.
The most glaring example is the treatment of Coupang, a U.S.-headquartered e-commerce leader often called the “Amazon of Asia.” Following a limited 2025 data breach involving a disgruntled former employee, South Korean authorities launched a sweeping, whole-of-government campaign against the company. This included dozens of investigations, thousands of document requests, a record $410 million fine, criminal referrals, travel bans on executives, and threats to business licenses.
A July 1, 2026, U.S. House Judiciary Committee report assessed that this was discriminatory treatment against a U.S. firm that violated a free trade agreement reached in late 2025 by President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
This was not an isolated incident. Seoul has imposed limits on Google Maps and map data exports, denying foreign license applications for cartographic and location-based data. Korean competitors, however, enjoy access to higher-precision maps essential for ride-sharing, delivery, and navigation services. I experienced this firsthand during a recent visit to Seoul, where I encountered significant difficulties getting Google Maps and the Uber app to function properly.
This pattern extends across sectors: regulators have blocked or delayed U.S. cloud providers such as AWS, Microsoft, and Google from obtaining key certifications while favoring domestic players. These South Korean platform rules mirror EU-style “gatekeeper” frameworks that tilt the field against U.S. firms, allowing Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Temu, and ByteDance to gain ground.
In addition, the State Department has expressed significant concerns about South Korea’s fake news law, which raises risks of broader censorship and regulatory pressure on digital platforms—including those operated by U.S. companies such as Meta, which owns Facebook.
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These actions carry direct costs for South Korean consumers. When regulators harass innovative U.S. companies and restrict services like Google Maps, the result is reduced competition, slower rollout of new features (such as advanced navigation or real-time data integration), higher prices, and—in the worst case—outright withdrawal or limited availability of cutting-edge products and services.
Just as Europeans are now missing out on the newest Apple devices due to anti-U.S. EU regulations and compliance burdens on Google and others, South Koreans could lose access to delivery networks, precise mapping and location tools, advanced cloud infrastructure, and vibrant digital platforms that American firms excel at delivering.
This damage may go far beyond commerce. A recent Polaris National Security assessment warned that Seoul’s pattern of targeting American businesses undermines the U.S.-South Korea alliance at a critical moment. Economic friction is already interfering with security cooperation on shipbuilding, submarines, intelligence sharing, and joint defense efforts against North Korea and China. By creating openings for Chinese firms, these policies could hand Beijing commercial and strategic advantages in a key Indo-Pacific market.
South Korea has long benefited from deep economic and security ties with the United States. Protectionist impulses that single out U.S. innovators for hostile treatment, whether through excessive Coupang probes, map data restrictions on Google, or other digital barriers, risk eroding that foundation. The House Judiciary report and administration statements make clear that unfair trade practices that limit market access for American digital services will not be ignored.
Seoul should reverse course. Fair, nondiscriminatory treatment of U.S. companies serves both good economics and fair trade. By avoiding Europe’s mistakes—where anti-U.S. regulations are already denying consumers advanced technology—South Korea can protect innovation, strengthen bilateral ties, and safeguard its critical defense alliance.
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