CEO of Starbucks in South Korea fired over controversial ad campaign

"The coffee chain launched a Tank Day campaign on 18 May for its Tank tumbler series. The date coincides with one of the most politically sensitive days in South Korea's calendar, when citizens commemorate the 1980 democratisation movement in Gwangju, 167 miles (270km) south-west of Seoul. The online campaign paired the date 5/18 with the slogan Tank Day, evoking the armoured vehicles used by the military regime to crush the uprising."

"The Gwangju Uprising began on 18 May 1980 when paratroopers were deployed to crush student-led protests against martial law imposed by the military strongman Chun Doo-hwan. Over the following 10 days, troops used bayonets, batons and live ammunition against civilians. Victims' groups estimate that hundreds were killed."

"The Starbucks promotion also featured the phrase thwack on the desk, which echoed the dictatorship's infamous 1987 cover-up of the torture death of the student activist Park Jong-chul. Authorities initially claimed that an officer hit the desk with a thwack, causing him to collapse and die, a lie that became shorthand for regime brutality when the torture was exposed, helping spark the nationwide protests that forced the regime to accept direct presidential elections."

"Within hours, Starbucks Korea pulled the promotion and apologised, saying it would implement stricter internal reviews. The Shinsegae Group chair, Chung Yong-jin, whose hypermarket Emart subsidiary owns a majority of the company operating Starbucks Korea under licence, fired CEO Son"

Starbucks Korea fired its South Korea chief executive after a promotional event used slogans evoking violence against pro-democracy protesters during the dictatorship era. The Tank Day campaign launched on 18 May for its Tank tumbler series, pairing 5/18 with “Tank Day.” The date coincides with commemorations of the 1980 democratisation movement in Gwangju, where paratroopers were deployed to crush student protests against martial law. During the uprising, troops used bayonets, batons, and live ammunition against civilians, with victims’ groups estimating hundreds killed. The promotion also included “thwack on the desk,” echoing a 1987 cover-up of a torture death. Starbucks Korea removed the promotion and apologized, promising stricter internal reviews, while a memorial coalition condemned the marketing as malicious mockery.

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