Starbucks Korea head fired after 'Tank Day' promotion sparks public uproar
Yahoo • • business
Key Points:
- Starbucks Korea's head, Sohn Jeong-hyun, was fired after a marketing campaign for a tumbler line evoked painful memories of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a brutal military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
- The campaign, launched on Democratisation Movement Day, used the tagline "put it on the table with a sound of 'Tak!'", which was criticized for insensitivity due to its association with police explanations for a student's death by torture in 1987.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung condemned the campaign, demanding an apology to the victims' families, while Starbucks Korea and Shinsegae Group issued public apologies and withdrew the campaign.
- Starbucks Global apologized and announced an investigation, leadership accountability measures, and plans for stronger internal controls and training to prevent similar incidents.
- Following the controversy, shares of Shinsegae's E-Mart, which holds a majority stake in Starbucks Korea, fell by 5.5% in Seoul trading.