Due to allegations of slander about a contentious advertising campaign, South Korean police visited Starbucks’ national headquarters. In honor of the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, in which hundreds are thought to have been slain by military forces, Starbucks Korea created a coffee tumbler campaign named “Tank Day” in May. The campaign prompted a widespread boycott movement since many believed the “tank” was a reference to vehicles used to crush pro-democracy demonstrators.
Civic organizations filed a criminal complaint against Starbucks, demanding that the authorities look into the firm for defaming victims of the military dictatorship. Starbucks swiftly retracted the statement, claiming it was inadvertent. After conducting an internal inquiry into the campaign, Shinsegae Group, which runs Starbucks in Korea, declared that the error was inadvertent.
It further stated that neither the higher management nor the team responsible for organizing the promotion saw the connection to the historical incident. Starbucks locations nationwide shuttered for half a day in June so that employees could attend history classes. Shinsegae expressed regret for the “inappropriate marketing” and said that Starbucks sales in South Korea, one of the company’s biggest markets, had significantly decreased as a result of the Tank Day issue.
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