SEOUL, South Korea — The chairman of the parent company of Starbucks Korea apologized again Tuesday as the company faces sustained public backlash against a marketing campaign widely perceived as mocking those who died for South Korea’s pro-democracy movement.
The coffee chain, which has been in South Korea since 1999, had planned to start selling a large tumbler it calls a “tank” May 18, declaring it “Tank Day.” May 18 is also the anniversary of a 1980 crackdown by South Korea’s former military dictatorship, in which hundreds of pro-democracy activists in the city of Gwangju were killed or injured by troops, tanks and helicopters.
Making matters worse, the campaign used the slogan “Thwack it on the table,” which for many recalled a 1987 claim by police that student activist Park Jong-chol, rather than being tortured to death, had died suddenly after investigators “hit the desk with a thwack.”
Bowing deeply before the cameras, Chung Yong-jin — chairman of the Shinsegae Group, whose subsidiary E-Mart has a majority stake in Starbucks Korea since Seattle-based Starbucks transferred its direct ownership in 2021 — expressed his remorse and said the company was investigating.
“All members of the Shinsegae Group, including myself, will remember the history and sacrifices of our society and strive to deeply understand and respect the feelings of the people,” Chung said, adding that people should not take out their anger on Starbucks employees.
It was the second apology in two weeks for Chung, with public anger failing to abate even after Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun was fired last week over what the Shinsegae Group said was an “inappropriate” campaign.
Public calls for boycotts have been endorsed by government officials, with the interior minister saying his ministry will no longer offer vouchers from companies that “make light” of South Korean history.
At a protest last week outside a Starbucks store in Gwangju, a few dozen people smashed Starbucks cups on the ground, video showed.
Even President Lee Jae Myung has weighed in, saying in a post on X last week that he was “outraged by this inhumane and disgraceful behavior by profiteers who deny the values of the South Korean community, fundamental human rights and democracy.”
The marketing misfire comes at a sensitive time politically, as South Korea prepares for nationwide local elections next month.
“The timing itself was extremely bad,” said Kim You Kyung, a professor of media and communication at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.
“Starbucks is one of the most loved coffee brands in South Korea. This is why people are very disappointed and upset at Starbucks,” he told NBC News in a phone interview Tuesday.
The Shinsegae Group said Tuesday there was no evidence so far that marketing employees were mocking the pro-democracy movement on purpose, and that employees had denied any harmful intent. But it said three employees had refused to turn over their mobile phones as part of the investigation.
The company said it had removed all five employees involved in the marketing campaign, and that it was cooperating with a police investigation that was launched after complaints from the families of people who were killed at Gwangju. It said any employees, including top executives, who were found to have acted with intent would be “immediately dismissed and held fully accountable both civilly and criminally.”
South Korea’s governing Democratic Party said Chung’s apology was necessary but “not sufficient.”
“Public questions still remain regarding whether there was prior coordination or intentionality behind the campaign,” spokesperson Jeon Jin-sook said in a statement. “Shinsegae Group must transparently disclose the investigation results and sincerely cooperate in additional investigations.”
The conservative People Power Party has criticized the backlash as “consumer censorship” and “selective outrage,” pointing to a South Korean actor who was fired from a show over a social media post showing him at a Starbucks store.
But even beyond the politics, “there is clearly a legitimate public outcry behind this controversy,” said Kim, the professor.
Though top executives were probably not directly involved in the Starbucks Korea campaign, the furor over the “Tank Day” promotion should serve as a “wake-up call” for global brands on the importance of historical and cultural sensitivity, he said.
“Especially for American brands or developed-country brands operating abroad, this incident serves as a kind of enlightening example of the sensitivities they can easily overlook,” Kim said.
Kim Young Jin, a 24-year-old university student in Seoul, said Starbucks was right to apologize for the campaign but that “some parts of the reaction have become excessive.”
“It feels like public opinion is attacking the company almost in a mob-like way,” he said in an interview Tuesday at a Starbucks in the city’s Yongsan district.
Kim said the “Tank Day” promotion would not stop him and his friends from going to Starbucks.
“If something is cheap or tastes good, people just keep using it,” he said.
Stella Kim reported from Seoul and Jennifer Jett from Hong Kong.
