Starbucks Korea to Shut 2,000 Stores for 3 Hours After 'Tank Day' Gwangju Backlash
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 15
Starbucks Korea to Shut 2,000 Stores for 3 Hours After 'Tank Day' Gwangju Backlash
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 15
Summary
June 22 will bring Starbucks Korea's first nationwide early closure since 1999, with all stores stopping service at 3 p.m. for three hours and staying shut until the next day.
The move follows outrage over a "Tank Day" tumbler promotion launched on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, in which at least 165 civilians were killed by the military.
Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks in South Korea, already fired the local CEO; Chairman Chung Yong-jin and all store employees will take the history and social-sensitivity training.
President Lee Jae Myung condemned the campaign, protests were held outside stores, and the chain reportedly suffered a sharp sales drop amid boycott calls.
The backlash deepened because campaign wording was also seen as echoing the 1987 death of a student activist in custody; Shinsegae said marketers had used an AI tool for slogan ideas.