South Korean Starbucks boss apologizes for ad campaign that evoked massacre
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean retail mogul Chung Yong-jin issued his second apology in two weeks on Tuesday as Starbucks’ local operation faces a backlash for perceived cynical victims of a recent marketing campaign. bloody military crackdown It’s about pro-democracy protesters in 1980.
Chung, chairman of Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, bowed three times during a televised statement, asking for forgiveness from the families of democracy activists killed by the country’s former military dictatorship and the broader public.
The coffee chain sparked public outrage when it tried to promote an oversized cup it called a “tank” by declaring May 18 as “Tank Day”. This is the anniversary of a democratic uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally suppressed by troops, tanks and helicopters, leaving hundreds dead or injured.
The campaign began with the slogan “Throw it on the table!”, which many read as a reference to the infamous police statement that attempted to cover up the torture-induced death of student activist Park Jong-chol in 1987. He increased the anger even more by using the slogan. Police allege Park died suddenly after what investigators say was “a hard blow to the table.”
The promotion was met with immediate outrage, and within hours Shinsegae canceled it and fired Starbucks Korea’s general manager. Police also launched an investigation following complaints from families of people killed in Gwangju.
“I take very seriously that many people feel deep pain and anger over Starbucks Korea’s inappropriate marketing campaign,” Chung said in a statement Tuesday.
He asked people not to take out their anger on the staff at Starbucks stores, saying the responsibility lies with the management. There were no immediate reports of major incidents in stores.
Chung issued his first apology on May 19, saying that the campaign had caused “deep pain to the victims of the May 18 Democratization Movement and their grieving families, as well as to the public.”
Jeon Sangjin, a senior executive at Shinsegae Group, said the company had yet to find conclusive evidence that Starbucks Korea marketing employees intended to mock the pro-democracy movement, an accusation the employees denied.
But he said some employees refused management requests to surrender their smartphones during a week-long internal review. Jeon said the company would look into the results of the police investigation and any employee found to have intended to mock protesters would be fired.
Anger over the campaign triggered calls for a boycott, amplified by government officials including Minister of Internal Affairs and Security Yoon Ho-jung, who said Starbucks products would no longer be used at government events and complained about the chain’s “anti-historical behavior.”
Minister Lee Jae Myung He said on X last week that the campaign showcased “inhumane and shameful behavior by cheap profiteers who deny the values of South Korean society, basic human rights and democracy.”
The crackdown in Gwangju came months after General Chun Doo-hwan He seized power in a coup in late 1979. Government records show about 200 people died in Gwangju, but activists say the real death toll is much higher. Chun’s government also imprisoned tens of thousands of people, saying it was rooting out social evils.
Public anger at Chun’s dictatorship led to mass protests across the country in 1987 and forced him to accept a constitutional amendment introducing direct presidential elections, widely seen as the beginning of South Korea’s transition to democracy.
