Police raid Starbucks South Korea HQ over massacre-linked ad
The coffee chain triggered a public uproar when it attempted to promote stainless-steel tumblers it called “SS Tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day”
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Summary
The coffee chain triggered a public uproar when it attempted to promote stainless-steel tumblers it called “SS Tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day”. The date marks the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising, when pro-democracy demonstrators were brutally suppressed by South Korea’s then military-backed government. South Korean police have raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea as part of an investigation into a marketing campaign accused of trivialising the country’s 1980s pro-democracy movement.
Furthermore, South Korea achieved a genuine democracy in 1987 when then authoritarian president Chun Doo-hwan, who led the Gwangju crackdown, was forced to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections in the face of massive pro-democracy demonstrations. The campaign also used the slogan “Thwack it on the table”, which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. The police investigation was launched after complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records said left about 200 people dead.
In addition, Starbucks Korea closed all of its stores nationwide on 22 June for mandatory training in history and social awareness. The public outrage prompted Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, to cancel the campaign within hours.
Cross-referenced from 2 sources.
Factual coreconfirmed by several independent voices
The coffee chain triggered a public uproar when it attempted to promote stainless-steel tumblers it called “SS Tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day”.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesThe date marks the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising, when pro-democracy demonstrators were brutally suppressed by South Korea’s then military-backed government.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesSouth Korean police have raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea as part of an investigation into a marketing campaign accused of trivialising the country’s 1980s pro-democracy movement.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesSouth Korea achieved a genuine democracy in 1987 when then authoritarian president Chun Doo-hwan, who led the Gwangju crackdown, was forced to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections in the face of massive pro-democracy demonstrations.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesThe campaign also used the slogan “Thwack it on the table”, which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesThe police investigation was launched after complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records said left about 200 people dead.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesStarbucks Korea closed all of its stores nationwide on 22 June for mandatory training in history and social awareness.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesThe public outrage prompted Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, to cancel the campaign within hours.
reliability moderate2/2 sources
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