Translation result.
[Herald Business = Reporter Eun-hee Kim] Foreign media gave prominent coverage to Starbucks Korea after the company ran a \”Tank Day\” promotion on May 18, the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising. Major outlets said the event sparked intense controversy and described it as malicious mockery.
On May 19, Yonhap reported that Reuters called the promotion \”inappropriate marketing\” and said Starbucks Korea dismissed Son Jeong-hyun, CEO of Starbucks Korea (SCK Company), over the incident.
Reuters provided historical context for the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, noting that the campaign coincided with the anniversary even though the military crackdown is estimated to have killed hundreds of civilians.
AFP reported that the phrase \”Tank Day\” drew widespread criticism because it evoked the military vehicles used to suppress protesters in 1980. AFP also noted that President Lee Jae-myung posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was \”angry\” about the promotion.
The BBC reported that Starbucks Korea’s CEO was fired over a campaign that recalled a violent historical event. The BBC quoted a social media user who called the promotion \”absurd and enraging\” and highlighted growing calls for a boycott of Starbucks Korea and Shinsegae. Starbucks Korea is a joint venture between Starbucks’ global headquarters and Shinsegae Group’s E-mart.
The Guardian reported that the CEO was dismissed over an ad that evoked the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators. It cited a statement from the Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity condemning the campaign as \”malicious mockery\” and noted renewed attention on Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin’s past anti-communist remarks.
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