Starbucks Korea chair apologizes again after Gwangju ad

The chairman of Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks in South Korea, issued a second public apology on Tuesday as the company faces a severe backlash and a significant drop in sales following a marketing campaign widely perceived as mocking a tragic chapter in the nation's history. The campaign, which promoted a large tumbler called a "tank" with a "Tank Day" event on May 18, sparked immediate outrage for its perceived reference to the Gwangju Uprising of 1980.

On that date 44 years ago, South Korea's then-military government deployed troops and tanks to suppress pro-democracy protests in the southern city of Gwangju. Official records estimate hundreds were killed or injured, though activists maintain the true toll was higher. The Starbucks promotion compounded public anger by using the slogan "Thwack it on the table!" Many interpreted this as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to explain the torture death of student activist Park Jongchol by claiming investigators had merely hit a desk.

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yongjin bowed multiple times during a televised news conference, pleading for forgiveness from the families of victims and the...