South Korean police raid Starbucks local headquarters over controversial ad campaign
- South Korean police raided the local headquarters of Starbucks in southern Seoul as part of an investigation into a controversial marketing campaign.
- The campaign was perceived as defamatory towards pro-democracy movements from the 1980s.
- Starbucks attempted to promote stainless steel thermal cups called 'SS Tank' on May 18, which marks the anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.
- Public outrage led to the cancellation of the campaign and the dismissal of the CEO of Starbucks Korea.
- The police investigation was initiated following complaints from the families of victims of the Gwangju repression.
South Korean police raided the local headquarters of Starbucks in southern Seoul on Tuesday as part of an investigation into a controversial marketing campaign that was perceived as defamatory of pro-democracy movements from the 1980s. The police reported the raid on Wednesday but did not provide further details.
The campaign sparked public outrage when Starbucks attempted to promote a series of stainless steel thermal cups called 'SS Tank' while declaring May 18 as 'Tank Day.' This date marks the anniversary of a pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju that was brutally suppressed by the military-backed government at the time.
The campaign also used the slogan 'Hit it on the table!' which many interpreted as a reference to a notorious police statement from 1987 that tried to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Following public backlash, Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, canceled the campaign within hours and dismissed the CEO of Starbucks Korea.
Shinsegae's president, Chung Yong-jin, later issued a televised apology. On June 22, Starbucks Korea closed all its stores nationwide early for mandatory training on history and social sensitivity.
韩国警方突袭星巴克当地总部因争议广告活动
韩国警方于周二突袭了位于首尔南部的星巴克当地总部，作为对一项争议营销活动的调查的一部分，该活动被认为对1980年代的民主运动构成了诽谤。警方在周三报告了此次突袭，但未提供更多细节。
当星巴克试图推广一系列名为“SS坦克”的不锈钢保温杯，并将5月18日定为“坦克日”时，引发了公众的愤怒。该日期标志着光州民主运动的周年纪念，该运动在当时受到军政府的残酷镇压。
该活动还使用了“击桌子！”的口号，许多人将其解读为对1987年一项臭名昭著的警方声明的引用，该声明试图掩盖学生活动家朴钟哲的虐待致死事件。面对公众的强烈反对，拥有67.5%股份的星际集团在数小时内取消了该活动，并解雇了星巴克韩国的首席执行官。
星际集团的总裁郑勇镇随后发表了电视道歉。6月22日，星巴克韩国提前关闭了全国所有门店，以进行强制性的历史和社会敏感性培训。