Starbucks Holds 'Tank Day' Event on May 18...Apologizes for Inappropriate Wording

Civic Groups: "Shallow Understanding of History...Dishonoring the Spirit of May"

On May 18, the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, Starbucks Korea held a "Tank Day" event that evoked memories of the tragedies under the military regime. As criticism mounted, the company canceled the event and issued an apology.

Starbucks Apology. Courtesy of Starbucks Korea

At 10 a.m. on the same day, Starbucks Korea launched and promoted the "Tank Day" event online. According to the event advertisement, customers could purchase a set of tumblers called "Tank" at a 10 to 21 percent discount from the original price. The promotional materials also featured the phrase "Bang on the desk!"

When news of such a marketing event spread on a day commemorating May 18, when citizens stood up to the martial law army in defense of democracy, condemnation poured in from local communities and online. Starbucks was denounced for its "shallow understanding of history," and some even called for a boycott.

The Gwangju Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity issued a statement on this day, saying, "'Tank' evokes the martial law army tanks from May 18, 1980, while 'Bang on the desk' recalls the tragedy of the military regime's attempt to cover up the 1987 death of martyr Park Jongcheol, claiming, 'He died after banging on the desk.' We strongly protest this."

The statement continued, "We suspect this is the result of management's biased historical awareness being subtly expressed under the guise of marketing. We strongly condemn Starbucks Korea for dishonoring the spirits of May with its shallow historical consciousness, and we demand a convincing explanation and a sincere apology."

On social media, users expressed outrage, and calls for a boycott continued to spread.

One user stated, "Holding the Tank Day event on the 46th anniversary of May 18 was not a mistake, but intentional," expressing strong dissatisfaction and suggesting, "We should start a boycott of Starbucks today."

Another user commented, "It's strange to give the name 'Tank' to a tumbler that appears to have no connection to tanks," and added, "I will no longer use Starbucks."

In its apology statement, Starbucks Korea said, "We discovered that inappropriate wording was used in the process of promoting this sales event. The event has been suspended, and we sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience and concern to our customers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.