Washington:<Text>

More than 50 U.S. Republicans have called on South Korea to cease what they describe as discriminatory practices targeting American companies, including the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. The lawmakers argue that these actions could inadvertently benefit Chinese companies by undermining U.S. firms' competitiveness in the region.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the appeal was made in a letter addressed to South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha. The letter, signed by 54 members of the Republican Study Committee, urged South Korea to adhere to commitments made during summit agreements with the U.S. last year, which included avoiding unnecessary legal and policy barriers against American companies.

The lawmakers expressed significant concern over what they perceive as South Korea's targeted actions against U.S. tech companies. They pointed out that these companies face regulatory challenges that appear designed to protect local competition while penalizing American firms. The letter specifically highlighted the scrutiny faced by Coupang Inc. following a large-scale data leak involving over 30 million customers' personal information. The lawmakers claim that this incident is being used as a pretext to unfairly target the company.

Furthermore, the Republicans warned that these discriminatory practices might inadvertently benefit Chinese companies, which could lead to adverse security outcomes given their close ties to the Chinese government. They emphasized that despite a joint fact sheet between the U.S. and South Korea, wherein Seoul committed to not disadvantaging American firms, these commitments have been overlooked.

The letter concluded with a strong demand for the South Korean government to immediately halt what they termed as a "targeted assault" on American businesses, warning of the broader implications for international business relations and security.