Starbucks Korea's chief executive has been sacked over a campaign perceived as referring to a bloody historical incident. Launched on Monday, the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising crackdown, the Tank Day coffee tumbler promotion sparked calls to boycott Starbucks Korea and prompted a harsh rebuke from President Lee Jae Myung.
Many felt the tank motif referenced vehicles deployed by the military government in May 1980 to crush pro-democracy protesters. Starbucks Korea rolled back the promotion hours after it launched. Shinsegae, the conglomerate that owns the majority stake in the coffee chain, apologised for inappropriate marketing and fired the chain's chief executive Sohn Jeong-hyun.
The promotion, which used the English words Tank Day, was for their Tank Series drink tumblers touted to have spacious volume for a large amount of coffee. According to local reports, Starbucks initially clarified that the Tank Series was one of several series of tumblers it was rolling out in a campaign running from 15 to 26 May.
We sincerely apologise for causing inconvenience and concern to our customers due to this, the company said. We have immediately suspended the event and will review and improve our internal processes to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
Local outrage included social media calls to boycott both Starbucks Korea and Shinsegae, with South Korea's president condemning the campaign by stating it insults the victims and the bloody struggle of the residents of Gwangju. President Lee expressed disbelief that the campaign was even planned, asking, What on earth were they thinking, knowing how many lives were taken that day and how seriously that set back our country's justice and history?
The Gwangju Uprising set South Korea on its path toward democracy and has been commemorated annually, with significant media portrayals marking it as a day of national trauma. Starbucks' campaign inadvertently touched upon a sensitive historical context that remains poignant in South Korea, leading to further disappointment and outrage among its citizens.
Many felt the tank motif referenced vehicles deployed by the military government in May 1980 to crush pro-democracy protesters. Starbucks Korea rolled back the promotion hours after it launched. Shinsegae, the conglomerate that owns the majority stake in the coffee chain, apologised for inappropriate marketing and fired the chain's chief executive Sohn Jeong-hyun.
The promotion, which used the English words Tank Day, was for their Tank Series drink tumblers touted to have spacious volume for a large amount of coffee. According to local reports, Starbucks initially clarified that the Tank Series was one of several series of tumblers it was rolling out in a campaign running from 15 to 26 May.
We sincerely apologise for causing inconvenience and concern to our customers due to this, the company said. We have immediately suspended the event and will review and improve our internal processes to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
Local outrage included social media calls to boycott both Starbucks Korea and Shinsegae, with South Korea's president condemning the campaign by stating it insults the victims and the bloody struggle of the residents of Gwangju. President Lee expressed disbelief that the campaign was even planned, asking, What on earth were they thinking, knowing how many lives were taken that day and how seriously that set back our country's justice and history?
The Gwangju Uprising set South Korea on its path toward democracy and has been commemorated annually, with significant media portrayals marking it as a day of national trauma. Starbucks' campaign inadvertently touched upon a sensitive historical context that remains poignant in South Korea, leading to further disappointment and outrage among its citizens.
