Starbucks under fire for ‘Tank Day’ ad evoking deadly South Korean uprising – National

Starbucks South Korea saw a significant slump in sales this week after it released an ad campaign evoking a deadly military crackdown on pro-democratic protesters in the 1980s.

The coffee giant, owned by Shinsegae Group subsidiary E-mart in South Korea, has faced criticism over what it coined ‘Tank Day,’ a marketing campaign for a new drinking cup launched on the anniversary of ​the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, when the country’s military government deployed troops and tanks to suppress student-led pro-democracy demonstrations.

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The ill-fated promotion offered discounts on ”Tank” tumbler sets along with the slogan, “Thwack it on the table,” an apparent reference to a phrase with dark implications in South Korea, coined by police to allegedly cover up the torture of a student protester who they said died of shock after investigators hit a desk he was sitting at with a “thwack.”

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In an apology during a news conference on Tuesday, Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin asked the public not to take their anger out on Starbucks employees and front-of-house workers.

“I take it very seriously that Starbucks Korea’s inappropriate marketing hurt and angered many ​people,” Chung said. “I will take all responsibility for the incident.”

While exact numbers are disputed, hundreds of people are believed to have died or gone missing during the military operation executed under Chun Doo-hwan in Gwangju, a city in southwest Korea.

Many details of the operation remain unconfirmed, including who gave the order to open fire on civilians.

A Shinsegae representative told Reuters that Starbucks sales fell sharply following the campaign’s release and that share prices tumbled as much as 2.8 per cent in morning trade Tuesday, adding that an internal investigation was looking into whether there had been any premeditation or intentional wrongdoing by management or employees, but so far had not turned up any evidence suggesting this was the case.

“While sales are not our main concern at the moment, we have seen a ‌very ⁠significant drop,” the official said.

The campaign was spearheaded by Starbucks South Korea’s e-commerce team, which secured sign-off from senior executives, the spokesperson continued, explaining that the incident had exposed flaws in the company’s risk management systems and that staff were heavily focused on sales, leaving the marketing strategy to be approved without appropriate scrutiny.

Starbucks global headquarters in the U.S. was aware of the gravity of the situation and had been receiving updates on the investigation and the company’s response, Reuters said.

Shinsegae fired the head of Starbucks Korea last week after the company apologized for the campaign. Starbucks Global also apologized and said an investigation had ​begun.

Global News reached out to Starbucks for comment, but did not receive a response.

— with files from Reuters

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