South Korea minister vows Starbucks boycott over 'Tank Day' campaign

South Korea's interior minister called for a government boycott of Starbucks Korea and urged police to investigate the chain's operator Thursday after a promotional campaign evoking military tanks drew condemnation for perceived mockery of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising, the Korea Times reported.

The controversy illustrates how corporate marketing that references South Korea's democratization history can trigger an immediate political and legal response — drawing a sitting cabinet minister, law enforcement and civic groups into the same dispute within days of a campaign launch.

Starbucks Korea, operated by Shinsegae affiliate E-mart, ran the campaign on May 18 — the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising — offering discounts on "Tank" tumbler sets paired with the slogan "Put it on the table with a sound of 'Tak!'" according to the Korea Times.

Critics said both elements carried painful historical associations. The tank imagery evoked the military vehicles used to suppress pro-democracy protesters during the 1980 Gwangju crackdown. The promotional sound "Tak!" recalled Park Jong-chol, a student activist tortured to death by police in 1987 who became a symbol of South Korea's democracy movement, according to the Korea Times.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung posted his response on X, expressing "deep regret" over what he called the "ahistorical" action by the chain. "Democracy was built on top of the sacrifice and devotion of many citizens. Treating that history lightly or exploiting it as commercial material is an issue that can by no means be taken lightly," Yun wrote, according to the Korea Times.

Yun said he directed his ministry to refrain from purchasing Starbucks products. A civic group separately filed complaints against Starbucks Korea's leadership — including Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and former Starbucks Korea head Son Jung-hyun — on grounds of alleged insult and defamation, the Korea Times reported.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency took over the case from Gangnam Police Station for investigation, according to the Korea Times.

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and former Starbucks Korea head Son Jung-hyun are among those named in the complaints now under review by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Korea Times reported.