The chief executive of Starbucks in South Korea has been dismissed after a promotional campaign used slogans evoking a massacre of pro-democracy protesters during the country's dictatorship era, sparking outrage and boycott calls.
The coffee chain launched a 'Tank Day' campaign on 18 May for its 'Tank' tumbler series. The date coincides with the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when troops crushed student-led protests against martial law, killing hundreds. The campaign paired the date '5/18' with the slogan 'Tank Day', referencing the armoured vehicles used by the military regime.
Shinsegae Group chair Chung Yong-jin dismissed CEO Son Jung-hyun and ordered the dismissal of the executive who oversaw the campaign, according to Yonhap news agency. A Shinsegae official said Chung considered the issue 'very serious' and took the 'extreme measure' of dismissing the CEO.
The promotion also featured the phrase 'thwack on the desk', echoing the dictatorship's cover-up of the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. The Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Coalition called the marketing 'clearly malicious mockery'.
Starbucks Korea pulled the promotion and apologised, saying it would implement stricter internal reviews. A spokesperson said: 'While unintentional, this should never have happened.' President Lee Jae-myung condemned the campaign as 'low-class peddlers'.
The controversy has refocused attention on Chung, who previously posted 'I hate communism' online and has ties to far-right groups. The Mart Industry Labour Union demanded Shinsegae halt its 'anti-historical far-right behaviour'.
