The backlash over the so-called “May 18 Tank Day” promotion by Starbucks Korea has intensified. Despite the dismissal of Starbucks Korea’s CEO and a public apology from Jung Yong-jin, calls for an online boycott are spreading.
On May 19, Shinsegae Group Chairman Jung Yong-jin issued a statement saying, “On the 46th anniversary of the May 18 democratic movement yesterday, Starbucks Korea, a Shinsegae affiliate, ran inappropriate marketing that should never have occurred. I bow my head and apologize to the spirits of the May 18 movement, the victims’ families, and the public.” He also pledged that the group would implement measures to prevent a recurrence.
The controversy began with Starbucks’ “Dante·Tank·Nasu Day” promotion, which launched on the 15th. Critics said that the use of “Tank Day” on the May 18 anniversary and the slogan “Tak!”—an onomatopoeic reference to a sharp thud on a desk—evoked the martial-law troops’ violent crackdown and recalled the Security Headquarters’ cover-up following activist Park Jong-chul’s death under torture.
Online sentiment soured quickly. On social media and in forums, users posted, “I can’t believe they scheduled a ‘Tank Day’ on May 18,” “Is this ‘Ilbe-bucks’?” (a reference to an extreme-right online community), and “Even the 503 ml size makes me think of a certain politician.”
Some users joined the boycott by discarding Starbucks products and merchandise or posting photos to document refunds of prepaid cards and gift coupons.
Netizens reacted with comments such as, “Never go there,” “I’ve lost all affection,” “They must be punished,” and “We should boycott not only Starbucks but all Shinsegae affiliates.”
Criticism also spread into civil society. There were growing calls for Starbucks to kneel before the people of Gwangju and the nation and apologize, accusing the company of mocking the May 18 democratic movement.
The Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Coalition said in a statement, “The word ‘tank’ calls to mind the tanks used by martial-law troops in May 1980, and ‘Tak!’ recalls the cover-up announcement surrounding the torture death of activist Park Jong-chul,” and criticized the campaign for insulting the May 18 victims with a shallow sense of history.
They added, “An individual staff member’s idea must pass through numerous approvals and reviews before becoming official corporate marketing. Can we really believe that combining these symbolic events from Korea’s democratization so precisely was an accident?”
The Gwangju Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice also said in a statement that on the solemn day marking the 46th anniversary of May 18, the promotion inflicted an indelible wound on the hearts of Gwangju residents and all who defended democracy. It called the campaign not a simple marketing mistake but a serious failure of historical awareness and an insult to democracy’s victims.
The coalition continued, “A company that presents itself as global paired the terms ‘tank’ and ‘Tak!’ in a commercial event while ignoring historical significance, and the pre-review process cleared it with no apparent concern. This is not an accident or the fault of a single staff member; it reflects a company-wide absence of historical sensitivity and democratic awareness.”
The group warned that only a crude commercialism that treats historical tragedy as a commodity to be exploited for profit can explain the incident, and cautioned that companies and societies that forget history will ultimately face judgment.
Political criticism followed. On the 18th, Jeon Jin-sook, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a written briefing that the campaign represented a cruel and inhumane marketing stunt committed on the sacred anniversary of May 18, when democracy was defended with blood, calling it an ethical collapse that turned the violence of military dictatorship and the community’s suffering into mere product promotion.
As the controversy grew, President Lee Jae-myung publicly condemned the event. On the 18th he wrote on social media, “‘May 18 Tank Day’ insults the blood-soaked struggle of the victims and citizens,” adding, “I am outraged by this inhuman behavior from grubby merchants who deny communal bonds, basic human rights, and democratic values.”
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