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Lawyer Yang Hong-seok: “If they cite the terms and refuse refunds, I’ll sue”
Starbucks sparked controversy after designating the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising as “Tank Day.” On May 19, Yang Hong-seok, an adviser to the Prosecutorial Reform Task Force, said he would pursue legal action if Starbucks refused to issue a full refund.
Yang posted on his Facebook page the message he had sent to Starbucks customer service, asking, “What is Starbucks thinking?”
He noted that Starbucks’ card terms specify a refund of the remaining balance only if customers have used at least 60% of the card, and said he had only just learned of that rule. While acknowledging that limits may be needed to prevent card-cashing schemes, he said it is hard to accept a policy that denies any refund when less than 60% has been used.
Yang said he had a Starbucks e‑card registered and immediately requested a full refund to see how Starbucks would respond. He added that he expects the company to invoke the terms and refuse the refund, in which case he would have no choice but to file a lawsuit.
In his message to customer service, Yang wrote, “I’m disappointed by ‘5·18 Tank Day’ and the ‘thud-on-the-desk’ incident. I will stop using Starbucks, so please issue a full refund.”
The day before, Starbucks ran a promotion called “Dante·Tank·Nassu Day.” The event featured a “Colorful Tank Tumbler Set” and a “Tank Duo Set.” The event page also used the phrases “Tank Day” and “thud-on-the-desk!”
Online critics said the campaign evoked the deployment of armored tanks during the May 18 uprising and called the timing highly insensitive. Many argued the language sounded like slogans used in far‑right online communities.
Critics also said the phrase “thud-on-the-desk!” recalled the 1987 police statement about Park Jong‑chul’s death — “When we struck the desk, he suddenly died” — and some users charged that Starbucks could not have been unaware of that association, describing the wording as seemingly deliberate.
President Lee Jae‑myung criticized Starbucks’ marketing on X (formerly Twitter) the previous day, saying he was “angry at the inhumane, outrageous behavior of cheap merchants who deny the values of our community, basic human rights, and democracy.” Jung Yong‑jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, also issued an apology and pledged steps to prevent a recurrence.
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