Starbucks Korea controversy draws overseas backlash, calls for HQ intervention

A Starbucks sign is seen outside the coffee company's global corporate headquarters in Seattle, May 11. AP-Yonhap

SEATTLE — Days after Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” campaign sparked outrage domestically, overseas social media users have begun reacting to the controversy, with some drawing comparisons to tragedies such as the Sept. 11 attacks and calling on Starbucks headquarters in Seattle to intervene.

The controversy, which initially triggered backlash largely within Korea, has increasingly spread overseas this week as English-language posts explaining the historical significance of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising circulated widely on Reddit, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

Many foreign users attempted to contextualize the controversy for international audiences by comparing it to marketing campaigns tied to national tragedies in their own countries.

“Imagine the American Starbucks HQ launching a promotion on Sept. 11 with a catch phrase like 9/11 Airplane Day,” one Instagram user wrote in a widely shared comment.

Others drew comparisons to Holocaust-related marketing, with one commenter sarcastically referring to a hypothetical “Gas Day.”

“Wow, how did they manage to mess that up?” one Reddit user wrote.

“If you are a Korean adult with a basic understanding of modern historical context, this cannot be a coincidence,” another user wrote.

Some overseas commenters also voiced support for Koreans angered by the campaign.

“I will boycott in solidarity with Koreans,” one user wrote.

The outcry also began targeting Starbucks headquarters in Seattle and its Korean operating partner, Shinsegae Group.

“To Starbucks headquarters in Seattle, please end your partnership with Shinsegae,” one Instagram user wrote, while another urged the company to “hold them accountable.”

Some commenters questioned the degree of oversight exercised by Starbucks global headquarters over its Korean operations, which are run under a licensing partnership with Shinsegae Group.

The controversy erupted after Starbucks Korea launched a military-themed promotion associated with May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, during which civilians were killed in a violent military crackdown.

Critics accused the company of trivializing one of Korea’s most painful historical events, triggering calls for boycotts and widespread criticism online.

The controversy’s spread overseas showed how the backlash had evolved beyond Korea, with criticism increasingly directed at Starbucks’ global brand management and oversight of its Korean operations.