A wave of outrage was caused by a marketing campaign that took place in South Korea on May 18. Back then, Starbucks promoted its newest product – a series of thermal mugs – in an event called “Tank Day” (in Polish it can be called tank day).
In South Korea, however, this day marks the anniversary of the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators that took place in Gwangdz in 1980. The military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan sent tanks and soldiers to suppress the demonstrators. According to official estimates, 165 people died and almost a thousand were injured during nine days. Historians, however, indicate that the number of victims could have been much higher.
Outraged Koreans immediately reacted to the cafe's action. Some customers decided to boycott the chain, others joined protests. Some also decided to destroy mugs and glasses with the characteristic green and white logo.
The president is outraged, the network apologizes
The president of South Korea, Li Jae Mjung, also commented on Starbucks' marketing campaigns, expressing his outrage on social media. He called the campaign “inhuman and shameful behavior of cheap speculators”, which “disgraced the bloody protests of the people of Gwangju and the victims of these protests.”
- Starbucks has turned into a total grinder. He just woke up
On the X website, the president also expressed outrage at another action of the coffee chain, which took place on April 16. “On the day commemorating the Sewol ferry disaster, when the families of the victims are mourning and society is drowning in sadness, they are organizing such an action – hidden behind a veil of code, like some mysterious code – insulting the victims, mocking the nation and probably having fun in their own way,” he wrote.
Chung Yong-jin, president of Shinsegae, the company that owns 67.5 percent, also reacted to the criticism. shares in Starbucks Korea, which During the press conference, he addressed the families of the victims of the protests, asking them for forgiveness and expressing “deep pain” over the action. He also publicly bowed as a gesture of apology. Starbucks Global also issued an apology, adding that it had initiated an investigation into the case.
