Far-Right Koreans Flood X With AI Chun Posts Backing Starbucks After May 18 'Tank Day' Furor
Updated
Updated · 코리아타임스 · May 21
Far-Right Koreans Flood X With AI Chun Posts Backing Starbucks After May 18 'Tank Day' Furor
3 articles · Updated · 코리아타임스 · May 21
AI-generated images and videos of former dictator Chun Doo-hwan endorsing Starbucks spread across X on Wednesday, turning the chain into a rallying symbol for far-right Korean users after its May 18 promotion backlash.
The posts followed Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" tumbler discount event on the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising, which critics said mocked both the 1980 crackdown and activist Park Jong-chul's 1987 torture death.
Far-right users also shared nationalist edits of the Starbucks logo, tank imagery crushing figures with Chinese and North Korean flags, and photos of their own purchases, suggesting the online campaign was spilling into offline consumer action.
Criticism still appeared to far outweigh support, with boycott calls and demands for action from Starbucks headquarters growing amid concerns about secondary victimization of Gwangju survivors and bereaved families.
The controversy had already prompted Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin to remove Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun and issue a public apology.
Did a marketing blunder just expose a deeper crisis of historical memory in South Korea?
After a brand becomes a symbol for extremists, is an apology ever enough to regain public trust?
When AI turns a coffee cup into a political weapon, can any brand truly remain neutral?