The head of Starbucks Korea has been fired after an advertising campaign that evoked the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters sparked outrage, including from South Korea's president.
CEO Son Jung-hyun was dismissed to take responsibility for the “inappropriate” campaign launched on the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising on May 18, 1980, the operator of the coffee chain in South Korea said Tuesday.
Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin “personally ordered” Son’s dismissal after a “strict and thorough internal investigation,” the group said, describing senior leadership as “furious” over the incident.
Chung took this action to “set an example of this incident, so that nothing like this happens again,” Shinsegae Group said, adding that another unnamed leader involved in the campaign would also be fired.
Son’s dismissal came after he had apologized for the “deep pain” caused by the campaign, which used the phrases “Tank Day” and “5/18” to promote a new line of coffee tumblers.
The combination of words and dates immediately sparked a backlash among South Koreans for appearing to reference the armored vehicles the military used to suppress democracy activists opposing then-President Chun Doo-hwan.
Shinsegae Group and Starbucks did not explain how the campaign related to this sensitive date, but Son in his apology said the promotional materials “were not thoroughly reviewed internally before the event started.”
Along with voices from civic groups representing victims of the crackdown, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the campaign had mocked the “bloody struggle” of the country's democracy activists.
“I am outraged by the inhumane, despicable behavior of these lowly merchants who deny South Korea's community, basic human rights, and democratic values,” Lee wrote on X.
“They must bear corresponding moral, administrative, legal, and political responsibility.”
The Gwangju Uprising, led by student protesters against Chun's authoritarian regime, is considered a key turning point in South Korea's democratization, which saw its first free elections in decades in 1987.
Under Chun's orders, South Korean military forces attacked the southwestern city of Gwangju to violently suppress student activists gathered to protest the military's seizure of control from the civilian government.
Government figures show more than 200 people died in the crackdown, though activists and historians estimate the actual toll could be as high as 2,300.
South Korea is one of Starbucks' most important markets globally. The East Asian country has more than 2,000 stores of the Seattle-based coffee chain, more than any other country except the U.S. and China.
