Industry minister to visit US this week for talks on bilateral issues, possibly including Coupang

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will visit the United States this week to attend a ceremony for a joint shipbuilding center, government officials said Sunday, with attention focused on whether he will also discuss the thorny issue involving U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang.

Kim will travel to Washington to attend the opening ceremony of the Korea-U.S.

Shipbuilding Partnership Center on Thursday (local time), where he is expected to discuss ways to advance bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding industry.

U.S.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is also expected to attend the event.

Observers say Kim could use the upcoming trip to explain Seoul's position amid continued complaints from Washington over the investigation into a massive data leak at Coupang, which has emerged as a source of friction between the allies after some U.S. officials and lawmakers raised concerns about whether the company was being treated unfairly.

South Korean Ambassador to the U.S.

Kang Kyung-wha returned to Seoul last week for consultations with relevant government agencies.

The ongoing tension has drawn gr ...