Starbucks Korea’s Misstep: What Went Wrong with the ‘Tank Day’ Marketing on Democracy Day?

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Starbucks Korea has come under intense public backlash over the marketing campaign dubbed “Tank Day,” which coincided with the May 18 anniversary.

President Lee Jae-myung condemned the campaign as the “inhumane, shameless conduct of profiteering lowlifes,” and Shinsegae Group responded by swiftly dismissing Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jeong-hyun.

On the 18th, the president used his X (formerly Twitter) account to denounce Starbucks’ marketing campaign in stark terms.

He said, “I am outraged by the inhumane, shameless conduct of profiteering lowlifes who deny the values of our community, basic human rights, and democracy. How could anyone hold a ‘5·18 Tank Day’ event on the historic May 18 anniversary that insults the blood-soaked struggle of Gwangju’s victims and citizens? I want to know what motivated this action.”

He added, “How many lives were unjustly lost that day, and how grievously were justice and historical memory damaged? This is appalling. Have they apologized to the families and victims of 5·18? Those responsible must bear appropriate moral, administrative, legal, and political consequences.”

As the controversy escalated, Shinsegae Group moved quickly to impose personnel measures.

The group said, “We will hold those responsible for today’s inappropriate marketing accountable and will immediately dismiss Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jeong-hyun.”

Chairman Chung Yong-jin reportedly ordered severe disciplinary measures against those responsible as soon as he was briefed on the matter. He expressed strong regret over the damage to the historical significance of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and demanded the group’s sternest response.

Shinsegae said it will also dismiss the executive who planned and supervised the event alongside CEO Son, and that it will begin additional disciplinary procedures against other employees involved.

A company official said, “Chairman Chung is taking this matter very seriously and has signaled his intent to prevent similar incidents by taking the strong step of dismissing the CEO.”

Starbucks Korea issued an official apology.

In his statement, former CEO Son Jeong-hyun said, “I bow my head and deeply apologize to the spirits of the 5·18 victims, to May organizations, to the citizens of Gwangju, and to all who devoted themselves to democratization for the deep hurt caused by marketing that included inappropriate references to the May 18 movement.”

He added that the company stopped the online tumbler-sale promotion as soon as it recognized the inappropriate references to the May 18 movement in the promotional copy, and acknowledged that its pre-release review process had been insufficient.

Starbucks said it will conduct a thorough internal investigation into the cause of the incident and implement measures to prevent recurrence. It plans to strengthen history-awareness and ethics training for all employees and to significantly tighten pre-approval procedures for all events, including marketing.

Shinsegae Group also said it will comprehensively reorganize internal workflows and implement education and system improvements to foster accurate historical awareness across the organization.

Reporter Kim Dong-wook (east@viva100.com)