Starbucks faces backlash in South

Starbucks is facing backlash in South Korea over a “Tank Day” marketing campaign that evoked the country’s deadly 1980 military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. In South Korea, Tank Day commemorates the day the country’s then-military government sent troops and tanks to supress mass rallies for democracy.

1. Frame 1Starbucks Korea ran a May 18 “Tank Day” promo for a tumbler line, pairing 5/18 with tank language.
2. Frame 2May 18 marks the Gwangju democracy uprising, when troops and armored vehicles crushed protests in 1980.
3. Frame 3Victims’ groups and critics said the campaign mocked a massacre, turning a product launch into boycott calls.
4. Frame 4Starbucks Korea pulled the promotion, apologized, and promised stricter internal reviews.
5. Frame 5Shinsegae dismissed Starbucks Korea’s CEO; the remaining test is how the review failure happened.