By Hyunjoo Jin and Krystal Hu SAN FRANCSICO/SEOUL, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Two major U.S. investors in Coupang Inc said on Thursday they have petitioned the U.S. government to investigate the South Korean government and potentially impose trade remedies over what they describe as discriminatory treatment of the e-commerce company.

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI nearly doubled in less than a year, crossing the 5,000-point mark for the first time in 45 years Thursday.

A major investor in Coupang Inc. has urged the US government to investigate South Korea over what it alleges is discriminatory treatment of the American-listed e-commerce company, escalating a dispute that could spill into broader trade relations between Washington and Seoul.

South Korea's economic growth slowed in the final quarter of last year as a sharp slump in construction investment, coupled with a pullback in exports.

South Korea's Parata Air plans to enter the North American market after tentative approval from the U.S. government for flights to the United States.

South Korea isn’t delaying the first planned $20 billion tranche of its US investment commitments as part of a trade deal framework, Finance Minister Koo Yun Cheol said, adding that the time-consuming process to select projects is underway even though it’s unlikely to be completed in the first half of the year.

South Korea’s highly interconnected culture has fuelled a series of viral food crazes, causing items to sell out fast and prices to skyrocket.