South Korea’s food conglomerate Shinsegae Group has fired the head of Starbucks Korea after a promotion campaign sparked public uproar on the anniversary of pro-democracy protests.
Shinsegae, the South Korean licensee of the U.S. coffee chain, said in statement on Monday that Chairman Chung Yong-jin sacked Sohn Jeong-hyun, the head of Starbucks Korea, for carrying out “inappropriate marketing.”
Hours earlier the South Korean coffee chain launched a “Tank Day” promotion, which South Koreans saw as a reminder of military tanks ramming protesters who fought against dictatorship in 1980s. The promotion offered discounts to customers who bought tumblers. The campaign used wording that recalled a former South Korean official’s explanation for the death of a student protester in 1987, who was found to have been tortured.
South Korea marked Democratisation Movement Day on Monday, the anniversary of the student-led Gwangju uprising. Hundreds, and possibly thousands, are believed to have been killed when citizens rose up against military dictator Chun Doo-hwan on May 18, 1980.
Starbucks Korea posted a statement on website apologizing for the promotion.
President Lee Jae Myung said on X that he was “enraged” and demanded the company apologize to families of people killed during the uprising.
© Thomson Reuters 2026.
