Trump’s Fed pick Warsh serves on board of Coupang, firm at the centre of US-South Korea trade spat

WASHINGTON - Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Federal Reserve, has earned over US$1 million (S$1.27 million) since 2020 as a member of the board of e-commerce company Coupang, which is now at the centre of trade tensions between the United States and South Korea.

Mr Warsh has served on the board of the Seattle-based company since October 2019, earning nearly US$325,000 in total compensation each year since 2022.

The company has been under investigation by South Korean regulators

after a mass data leak,

but some US investors have asked the Trump administration to scrutinise the probe, which they say discriminates against an American company.

US Vice-President JD Vance and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok

discussed the issue last week,

days before Mr Trump announced a

sharp increase in US duties on South Korean automobiles

and other imports to 25 per cent from 15 per cent, saying Seoul was not living up to commitments under a trade deal reached last year.

South Korean officials are in Washington this week to discuss the trade deal, but

have failed to resolve the dispute.

Mr Warsh, 55,

is a former Fed governor

who currently lectures at Stanford University.

The Federal Reserve Act bars members of the Fed’s Board of Governors from other employment, stating “members of the Board shall devote their entire time to the business of the Board”.

The White House had no immediate comment on whether Mr Warsh would be required to divest any holdings, or when that could occur. Mr Warsh did not respond immediately to questions about his intentions. The Fed also did not respond immediately.

The Federal Reserve’s rules ban any member from holding positions or stock in any bank, banking institution, or trust company. They are generally ineligible to work for a member bank for two years after serving unless they completed a full term.

Under rules strengthened a few years ago after a trading scandal resulted in the resignations of two regional reserve bank presidents, Fed officials are barred from purchasing individual stocks or entering into derivatives, or from holding individual bonds and agency-backed securities. New members of the Fed have six months from their start date to come into compliance.

Mr Warsh, who served on the Fed Board of Governors from 2006-2011, has also served on the board of UPS since 2012, where his compensation ranged between nearly US$285,000 and US$305,000 from 2021-2024, the latest data available. REUTERS