Starbucks under fire for 'Tank Day' promotion on Gwangju Uprising anniversary

Starbucks Korea's promotional ad for "Tank Day," left, and the company's statement of apology / Yonhap

Starbucks Korea faced backlash Monday, as the nation commemorated the May 18 Uprising, for using phrases in a product promotion that were seen as provoking sentiment against the historic event.

The major coffee chain shut down the event amid a flood of online criticism and issued an apology.

The controversial phrases included “Tank Day,” the event’s title, which evoked memories of the military vehicles used by former President Chun Doo-hwan to suppress protesters in Gwangju in 1980. Citizens had risen up against his military regime, demanding an end to martial law and the establishment of a democratic system.

The promotion offered a 10 percent discount on the Colorful Tank Tumbler Set and a 21 percent discount on the Tank Duo Set.

The company admitted that it had discovered “inappropriate phrasing during our promotion of the Dante, Tank and Nasu tumbler series, which was part of our Buddy Week event running from May 15 to 26.”

The promotion also used the phrase “Put it on the table with a sound of ‘Tak!’” — wording that evoked the infamous explanation tied to the 1987 torture death of student activist Park Jong-chul. The incident later became a major catalyst for the country’s democracy movement.

A Starbucks shop in Seoul displays its tumbler lineup, May 6. Yonhap

At the time, police claimed Park died after investigators struck a desk with a "tak" sound, prompting him to collapse with an "eok" sound — an explanation that later became a widely criticized symbol of the military regime's attempts to conceal torture and state violence.

Starbucks’ use of these historically sensitive words stirred online backlash and prompted criticism that the promotion abused public sentiment surrounding the 1980 Gwangju Uprising and the death of Park.

A civic group representing victims and bereaved families of the Gwangju uprising accused Starbucks Korea of “damaging the spirit of the democracy movement through a shallow understanding of history.”

"We strongly condemn Starbucks Korea and urge the company to provide a proper explanation and apology," the group said in a statement.

Starbucks Korea responded by suspending the event, saying, “We sincerely apologize for causing concern and discomfort to customers.”

The latest incident is stirring long-standing criticisms of Chung Yong-jin, the conservative chairman of Shinsegae. Emart, an affiliate of Shinsegae Group, is the largest shareholder of Starbucks Korea. Online users have been resharing Chung's past posts captioned with the hashtag “myeolgong,” meaning eradicate communism.

In that sense, Kwon Young-kook, chairman of the minor opposition Justice Party, said, “this controversy cannot be dismissed as a mere coincidence or mistake. Chung has never tried to hide his far-right leanings,” adding that “the owner’s usual conduct should be seen as having encouraged such wording during the approval and review process.”

Amid the backlash, Chung dismissed Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun, who took responsibility for the contentious campaign.

Later in the day, President Lee Jae Myung, who visited Gwangju for a ceremony commemorating the pro-democracy movement, also criticized Starbucks Korea for holding the event on a date associated with victims of military rule.

“I am outraged by the inhumane behavior of profiteers who deny the values of the Republic of Korea, fundamental human rights and democracy,” Lee wrote on social media platform X.