Starbucks Korea CEO Fired Over ‘Tank Day’ Ad Evoking Country’s Brutal History
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- Starbucks Korea launched a marketing campaign called "Tank Day" for its drink tumblers, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju massacre where a military dictatorship used tanks to suppress pro-democracy protesters.
- The campaign sparked widespread outrage and a boycott, with social media users destroying Starbucks merchandise and deleting the Starbucks app in protest.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung condemned the campaign as inhumane and disrespectful to the victims of the Gwangju democratization movement.
- Starbucks Korea quickly halted the promotion, fired its CEO Son Jeong-hyun, and issued a public apology acknowledging the inappropriate reference to the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.