"CEO Son Jung-hyun was fired to hold him accountable for the inappropriate promotional campaign launched on the anniversary of the May 18, 1980, uprising in Gwangju, the coffee chain's South Korean operator said on Tuesday. Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin personally ordered Son's dismissal after a strict and thorough internal investigation, the conglomerate said, describing the top executive as furious over the incident."
"Chung took the action to make an example of this incident so that nothing similar ever happens again, the Shinsegae Group said, adding that another unnamed executive involved in the campaign would also be fired. Son's dismissal came after he had earlier apologised for the deep hurt caused by the campaign, which used the wording Tank Day and 5/18 to promote a new range of coffee tumblers."
"The combination of the language and date provoked a swift backlash among South Koreans for seeming to invoke the armored vehicles used by the military to crush pro-democracy activists opposing then-President Chun Doo-hwan. Shinsegae Group and Starbucks did not explain how the campaign came to be linked with the sensitive date, but Son said in his apology that the promotional materials were not thoroughly reviewed internally before the event began."
"Adding his voice to civic groups representing victims of the crackdown, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the campaign had mocked the blood-soaked struggle of the country's democracy activists. I am outraged by this inhumane, bottom-feeding behavior from these low-class peddlers who deny the Republic of Korea's community, basic human rights, and democratic values, Lee said in a post on X."
A Starbucks Korea marketing campaign using the terms “Tank Day” and “5/18” to promote coffee tumblers on the anniversary of the May 18, 1980 Gwangju uprising triggered public backlash. The wording and timing were widely seen as evoking the armored vehicles used to suppress pro-democracy protesters. The company’s South Korean operator dismissed CEO Son Jung-hyun after an internal investigation, citing inadequate internal review of promotional materials before the event began. Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin ordered the dismissal to prevent similar incidents and said another involved executive would also be fired. Son previously apologized for the harm caused. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung condemned the campaign as mocking the struggle of democracy activists.
#marketing-backlash #gwangju-uprising #corporate-accountability #south-korea-politics #starbucks-korea
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