South Korean Starbucks boss apologizes for ad campaign that evoked massacre
The chairman of Shinsegae Group, which owns Starbucks Korea, issued a public apology for a marketing campaign that was perceived as insensitive to victims of a historical massacre. The campaign, promoting a 'Tank Day' tumbler, coincided with the anniversary of the Gwangju uprising, which was violently suppressed in 1980. Following public outrage and calls for boycotts, the company canceled the promotion and initiated an internal review.
- ▪Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, apologized for a marketing campaign that mocked victims of the Gwangju massacre.
- ▪The campaign promoted a tumbler called 'tank' on the anniversary of the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in 1980.
- ▪Public backlash led to the cancellation of the campaign, the firing of the Starbucks Korea CEO, and a police investigation.
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MoneyWatch South Korean Starbucks boss apologizes anew for ad campaign that evoked massacre .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } May 26, 2026 / 5:50 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Seoul, South Korea — South Korean retail tycoon Chung Yong-jin on Tuesday issued his second apology in two weeks as Starbucks' local operation faced a backlash over a recent marketing campaign that was widely perceived as mocking victims of a bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1980.Chung, chairman of Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, bowed three times during a televised statement as he pleaded for forgiveness from the families of democracy activists killed by the country's former military…
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