SEOUL – On Tuesday, Chung Yong-jin, a prominent South Korean retail magnate, issued his second public apology within a fortnight due to a controversial marketing move by Starbucks Korea. This campaign has been criticized for seemingly trivializing the suffering of those affected by a violent military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in 1980.
Chung, who serves as the chairman of Shinsegae Group and holds a major 67.5% share in Starbucks Korea, appeared on television to express his remorse. He offered a deep, three-fold bow during his statement, seeking forgiveness from the families of the 1980s democracy advocates who suffered under the nation’s former military regime, as well as from the general public.
The uproar began when Starbucks attempted to advertise a large tumbler size, referred to as a “tank,” by designating May 18 as “Tank Day.” This date coincides with the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democracy movement harshly quashed by military forces using tanks and helicopters, resulting in numerous casualties.
Adding fuel to the fire, the campaign employed the phrase “Thwack it on the table!,” which many interpreted as an allusion to a notorious 1987 police statement. This statement was part of an attempt to obscure the torture and death of student activist Park Jong-chol, with authorities initially claiming he died suddenly when an officer “hit the desk with a thwack.”
The public backlash was swift, prompting Shinsegae to swiftly retract the promotion and dismiss the CEO of Starbucks Korea. Furthermore, law enforcement has initiated an investigation following complaints from the relatives of those who perished in the Gwangju incident.
“I take it very seriously the fact that many people felt deep pain and anger because of Starbucks Korea’s inappropriate marketing campaign,” Chung said Tuesday.
He also asked people not to take out their frustration on staff at Starbucks shops, saying the responsibility lies with management. There were no immediate reports of major incidents at stores.
Chung issued his first apology on May 19, saying in a statement that the campaign caused “deep pain to the victims and bereaved families of the May 18 Democratization Movement as well as to the public.”
Jeon Sangjin, a senior Shinsegae Group executive, said the company has yet to find conclusive evidence that Starbucks Korea marketing employees intended to mock the pro-democracy movement, an accusation the employees have denied.
However, he said some employees refused management requests to hand over their smartphones during a weeklong internal review. Jeon said the company would look at results from the police inquiry and any employee found to have intended to ridicule protesters would be fired.
The anger over the campaign has triggered public calls for boycotts, amplified by government officials, including Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung, who said Starbucks products will no longer be used at government events and lamented the chain’s “anti-historical behavior.”
President Lee Jae Myung said on X last week that the campaign displayed “inhumane and disgraceful behavior by cheap profiteers who deny the values of the South Korean community, basic human rights and democracy.”
The crackdown in Gwangju came months after General Chun Doo-hwan seized power in a coup in late 1979. Government records show about 200 people died in Gwangju, but activists say the true death toll was much higher. Chun’s government also imprisoned tens of thousands, saying it was rooting out social evils.
Public anger over Chun’s dictatorship led to massive nationwide protests in 1987, forcing him to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections, which is widely seen as the start of South Korea’s transition to democracy.
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