Starbucks under fire for using phrases linked to Democratic Uprising

Starbucks Korea faced backlash Monday, as the nation commemorated the May 18 Democratic Uprising, for using phrases in a product promotion that were seen as provoking sentiment against the historic event. The major coffee chain shut down the event amid a flood of online criticism and issued an apology. The controversial phrases included “Tank Day,” the event’s title, which evoked memories of the military vehicles used by former President Chun Doo-hwan to suppress protesters in Gwangju in 1980. The protesters had risen up against his military regime, demanding an end to martial law and the establishment of a democratic system. The promotion offered a 10 percent discount on the Colorful Tank Tumbler Set and a 21 percent discount on the Tank Duo Set. The company admitted that it had discovered “inappropriate phrasing during our promotion of the Dante, Tank and Nasu tumbler series, which was part of our Buddy Week event running from May 15 to 26.” Not only the tank, the promotion also used the phrase “Put it on the table with a sound of ‘Tak!’” — wording that evoked the inWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times