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[Herald Economy=Reporter Han Ji-sook] Civic groups in the Gwangju–Jeonnam region sharply condemned Starbucks after the company ran a “Tank Day” promotion on the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, calling it a historically offensive act that insults the martyrs and the people of Gwangju.
Gwangju–Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity (hereafter “Memorial Solidarity”) issued a statement on the 18th, saying it felt deep sorrow and rising anger upon learning of the so‑called Tank Day promotion timed to the May 18 commemoration.
The group said holding an event that used the word “tank” on May 18 commercially exploited the pain of Gwangju citizens who resisted the military dictatorship, inflicting further wounds on bereaved families and local residents.
It also criticized the promotional phrase “Thud on the desk!”, saying the line evokes the regime’s cover‑up remarks after Park Jong‑chul’s torture death and simultaneously recalls both the 1980 Gwangju tragedy and the emblematic events of the 1987 democratization movement.
When Starbucks suggested the issue may have been the mistake of a young staffer, Memorial Solidarity called that an irresponsible attempt to shift blame. The group argued that an official promotion from a major company typically passes multiple approval steps, so it is difficult to see this as a simple oversight.
Memorial Solidarity added that the repeated use of democratization symbols within a single marketing campaign makes coincidence unlikely. The group said it has reasonable grounds to suspect that distorted historical perceptions from past management or within the organization may have influenced the promotion.
Gwangju–Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity demanded an immediate, formal apology and full disclosure of a credible explanation along with measures to prevent recurrence.
Starbucks Korea ran the Tank Day promotion on the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement and apologized after the backlash.
The promotion highlighted the Tank Series tumblers — SS Tank Tumbler 503ml (≈17.0 fl oz) and SS Mini Tank Tumbler 133ml (≈4.5 fl oz). Under the “Tank Day” banner, the date 5/18 was emphasized, and the copy included the phrase “Thud on the desk!”.
Critics immediately said the promotion evoked the deployment of tanks by martial law forces during the May 18 uprising. In particular, they argued that the phrase “Thud on the desk!” recalled the Security Headquarters’ infamous announcement after Park Jong‑chul’s torture death, which became symbolic of the government’s effort to conceal the truth.
Online commentators sharply criticized the campaign, writing comments such as, “This is no different from Ilbe (Ilgan Best). It’s hard to view this as an accident,” “This crossed the line,” “This insults the May 18 Democratic Movement,” “Wasn’t this intentional?” and “The motive seems obvious.”
After the controversy erupted, Starbucks replaced “Thud on the desk!” with “Work in progress—snap~” and renamed “Tank Day” to “Tank Tumbler Day,” but it has since removed both phrases entirely.
In a statement that day, Starbucks said it had discovered inappropriate wording during the tumbler promotion and sincerely apologized for the discomfort and concern caused to customers. The company added that it immediately halted the promotion and will review and improve internal processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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