Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, will address the public in person. The move comes in response to widespread backlash over Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” marketing around the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. The company also plans to publish the findings of its internal investigation into the incident.
Retail industry sources said on May 24 that Chung’s apology press conference is scheduled for the morning of May 26 at the Chosun Palace Hotel in Seoul’s Gangnam district. In an official statement, Shinsegae Group said Chung intends to personally apologize to everyone hurt by Starbucks Korea’s inappropriate marketing around the May 18 commemoration and that the group will explain the results of its investigation.
The contested marketing was part of a Buddy Week promotion and featured a “Tank Tumbler” series. The event name was “Tank Day,” and the promotional slogan used the phrase “책상에 탁!” Both elements provoked immediate criticism. Critics argued that “tank” evoked the armored vehicles used by the martial-law forces to suppress civilians during the May 18, 1980 uprising, while “책상에 탁!” recalled the euphemism police used to conceal the torture and death of activist Park Jong-cheol in 1987.
On the day of the promotion, May 18, Chung swiftly dismissed Son Jeong-hyun, CEO of Starbucks Korea, and took personnel action against the responsible executive. The following day, May 19, he issued a public apology in his own name.
In that statement, Chung said, “Starbucks Korea, an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, executed inappropriate marketing that should never have occurred and cannot be tolerated. We deeply wounded the spirits of the May 18 movement, the bereaved families, and the public. On behalf of the group, I bow my head and apologize.”
He added, “This was an inexcusable mistake that treated the pain and sacrifice of those who devoted themselves to democracy lightly. I accept full responsibility for this incident. We will comprehensively review the group’s decision-making processes to ensure this does not happen again.”
The controversy continued. On May 23, President Lee Jae-myung referenced a separate Starbucks release — a “Siren Mug” issued two years earlier around the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster — in a post on his X account, calling the move “the immoral act of a vicious merchant.”
Starbucks pushed back against criticism over its use of the siren logo. A company representative said the Starbucks siren is a core global brand emblem and has appeared consistently on many products since the company’s founding.
The company said it released more than 80 items labeled with the “Siren” name between 2023 and 2025. It added that product release timing is determined through standard merchandise planning procedures, including seasonal planning and schedules for production, logistics and store distribution.
Most Commented