Shinsegae official questioned over Starbucks Korea's 'Tank Day' promotion
A notice posted outside a Starbucks sotre in Seoul, Wednesday, informs customers of an early closure on June 22 due to company's mandatory histroy education for all employees. Yonhap
Police said Wednesday they were questioning the head of Shinsegae Group's audit team over allegations that its affiliate Starbucks Korea insulted victims of the 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju with its controversial marketing campaign.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency called in Yang Jong-hwan to question the results of the group's weeklong internal inspection of the incident in May.
Starbucks Korea, operated by E-Mart Inc., launched an online "Tank Day" promotion on May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement.
The coffee franchise launched a discount event for "Tank" tumbler sets, along with the controversial phrase, "Put it on the table with a sound of 'Tak!'"
The promotional event drew criticism, as the word "tank" evoked memories of the military violently clamping down on pro-democracy protesters. The word "Tak" also sparked backlash, as it reminded people of student activist Park Jong-cheol, who died in 1987 after being tortured.
Announcing the results of the internal probe last month, Shinsegae Group said it found no evidence backing allegations that the promotional event was organized with the deliberate intent to mock the Gwangju movement. But it also acknowledged limitations of the inspection, citing some company officials' refusal to submit their mobile phones for digital forensics.
Police are expected to seek search and seizure warrants to secure the mobile phone data that Shinsegae's audit team was unable to obtain.