The chief executive of Starbucks Korea, Sohn Jeong-hyun, has been dismissed from his position following a public relations disaster involving a promotional campaign that deeply offended the South Korean public. The company had launched a “Tank Day” marketing initiative for a series of large-volume tumblers, which coincided with the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. The terminology used in the promotion was widely interpreted as an insensitive reference to the military vehicles used by the regime to suppress pro-democracy protesters, an event that remains a significant source of national trauma.

Public backlash was immediate and severe, with calls for a widespread boycott of the coffee chain and its parent company, the Shinsegae conglomerate. The controversy was further intensified by the use of promotional language that appeared to echo painful historical memories linked to the torture and death of activists during the country’s struggle for democracy. Government officials and the public condemned the campaign as an affront to the victims of the Gwangju massacre and a disregard for the nation’s democratic history.

In response to the escalating outrage, Shinsegae Group leadership issued a formal apology, describing the incident as an inexcusable error that trivialized the sacrifices made for the country’s freedom. The conglomerate has pledged to conduct a thorough internal investigation into the approval processes that allowed such a campaign to reach the public. While the US-based Starbucks Corporation issued its own statement expressing regret for the harm caused, the operational control of the Korean branch remains under the authority of the Shinsegae subsidiary, E-mart, and the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC.