Seoul: A civic group on Wednesday filed a complaint against Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and Son Jung-hyun, former head of Starbucks Korea, over alleged insult and defamation stemming from the coffee chain's controversial marketing campaign that revived painful memories of a bloody pro-democracy uprising.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the complaint was lodged with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency by the People's Welfare Countermeasure Committee. The committee demanded punishment for Chung and Son, claiming that Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" coffee tumbler promotion, launched on the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju uprising, constitutes an insult and defamation against the bereaved families of the uprising victims and Gwangju citizens.
The May 18, 1980, uprising was a significant event in South Korea's history, where the military cracked down on demonstrators, including students, protesting against then Army Lt. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who had staged a military coup the previous year and became president in August 1980. The harsh crackdown left more than 200 dead and 1,800 others wounded in the southwestern city, located 330 kilometers south of Seoul.
The civic group argued that the use of the words "tank" and "tak!" in the tumbler campaign evoked memories of military vehicles deployed during the crackdown and the 1987 torture death of pro-democracy student activist Park Jong-chol. "The inappropriate marketing caused public outrage and strict punishment must be imposed following a swift and thorough investigation," the group stated.
In Gwangju, five surviving uprising activists announced plans to file a complaint with police against Chung, Son, and two Starbucks Korea officials on charges of insult and violating the special law on the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. They demanded a thorough investigation of those responsible, including top management and marketing campaign planners, emphasizing that the democratization movement, a symbol of South Korean democracy, should not be trivialized by corporate marketing campaigns.
Chung issued an apology on Tuesday, acknowledging that the inappropriate marketing campaign should never have occurred and cannot be tolerated for trivializing the pain and sacrifices of those who devoted themselves to democracy in South Korea. E-Mart, a key affiliate of Shinsegae Group, holds the controlling stake in Starbucks Korea.