"If You Carry Starbucks Coffee"... Man in His 60s Arrested for Posting Threats

"I wrote the post in a moment of anger," he says

As controversy grows over Starbucks Korea's so-called "Tank Day" promotion, a man in his 60s has been apprehended by police for posting death threats targeting Starbucks customers.

The Uijeongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on May 21 that it is investigating and has booked a man in his 60s, identified as Mr. A, on charges of making public threats. Mr. A is accused of posting on his social media account the previous day, stating, "I will kill everyone carrying Starbucks coffee from now on."

On the 21st, at a press conference condemning Starbucks Korea held in front of the Emart Gwangju store in Gwangcheon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, Starbucks tumblers and cups were found broken and dented. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Citizens who saw the post reported it to the police emergency line (112), after which the police identified Mr. A's identity through IP tracking of his account. Mr. A is reported to have voluntarily appeared at the police station for questioning later that same afternoon.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated, "I saw recent news articles about the company's promotional event and in a moment of anger wrote the post, but I had no real intention to harm anyone." The problematic post has since been deleted or set to private.

Previously, Starbucks Korea has faced controversy after using phrases such as "Tank Day" and "Tak on the Desk" in advertisements for its tumbler promotion event running from May 15 to May 26. Critics argued that these phrases mocked the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and the 1987 death of activist Park Jongcheol by torture.

As public criticism mounted, Starbucks Korea posted an apology. However, as the situation failed to subside, Eui-sun Chung, Executive Chair of Shinsegae Group, notified Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun of his dismissal.

Additionally, on May 19, Chairman Chung issued a statement of apology, saying, "On behalf of the group, I sincerely apologize to the spirits of the victims and their families of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, as well as to the people of Korea, for causing deep hurt. This incident is an inexcusable mistake that disregarded the pain and sacrifice of all those who have dedicated themselves to the democracy of this country," he said, bowing his head in apology.

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