South Korean Police Raid Starbucks Headquarters Over Gwangju Uprising 'Tank Day' Controversy
Investigators from the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a raid on the Starbucks Korea headquarters in Seoul. The operation, which commenced at approximately 2:30 PM local time on Thursday, involved a search and seizure in connection with allegations of defamation and insult relating to the 18 May Gwangju Democratisation Movement.
The controversy stems from a promotional event organised by Starbucks Korea in May, termed 'Tank Day'. This initiative offered a discount on specific beverages and food items on the 18th of the month. Critics and members of the public swiftly drew parallels between the 'Tank Day' branding and the deployment of military tanks during the brutal suppression of the Gwangju Uprising on 18 May 1980.
During the Gwangju Uprising, South Korean military forces, then under authoritarian rule, opened fire on pro-democracy protestors, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths. The event remains a deeply sensitive and tragic chapter in South Korean history, widely viewed as a massacre.
Following widespread condemnation and numerous public complaints lodged with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, Starbucks Korea issued an apology and withdrew the promotion. The company stated that the event's name was derived from the 'tank' form of its 'Tanker' dessert, asserting no intention to trivialise historical events. However, the police investigation indicates that the official apology did not fully quell public discontent or satisfy the legal threshold for dismissing the complaints.
