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Police raid Starbucks’ South Korean HQ over ad campaign that evoked massacre
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- South Korean police raided Starbucks Korea headquarters as part of an investigation into a marketing campaign deemed offensive to 1980s pro-democracy movements.
- The campaign promoted stainless-steel tumblers called “SS Tank” and designated May 18, the anniversary of the Gwangju uprising, as “Tank Day,” sparking public outrage.
- The slogan “Thwack it on the table!” was interpreted as referencing a 1987 police cover-up related to the torture death of activist Park Jong-chol, intensifying backlash.
- Shinsegae Group, majority owner of Starbucks Korea, swiftly canceled the campaign, fired the local CEO, and issued a public apology, while Starbucks Korea closed stores for sensitivity training.
- The police probe followed complaints from relatives of Gwangju crackdown victims, which resulted in about 200 deaths during the 1980 military suppression.
