South Korean police yesterday raided the Starbucks national headquarters, the chain’s local operator told reporters, following allegations that an advertising campaign defamed activists slain in 1980 pro-democracy protests.
Seoul-based Starbucks Korea caused an uproar this year when it launched a “Tank Day” promotion on May 18, touting a new line of capacious tumblers for its coffee beverages.
The date marked the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising, when at least 165 civilians were killed as a military dictatorship rolled tanks out onto the streets.
Photo: Reuters
The chain was accused of trivializing the nation’s landmark protest movement and insulting the dead, remembered as martyrs by many South Koreans.
A civic group and bereaved families filed a complaint accusing members of the Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks Korea, of defaming and insulting the victims and relatives.
“The Seoul police raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea this morning as part of the ongoing investigation,” a Shinsegae Group spokesman told reporters, declining to provide further details.
Seoul police said an investigation into the firm was ongoing, but also declined to provide further information about the case.
The complaint named Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin and Son Jung-hyun, the former CEO of Starbucks Korea, who resigned over the furor.
The advertising fiasco also alluded to phrases that officials at the time used to dismiss allegations they had tortured a student activist to death.
South Korea is the third-largest market for the coffee giant, behind the US, where it was founded, and China.
The controversy prompted a public apology and the one-off early closure of the chain’s more than 2,000 stores nationwide for staff education in June.
The Shinsegae Group has previously said its own internal investigation found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing.
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