South Korean police raided the headquarters of Starbucks’ local operations as part of an investigation into a controversial marketing campaign that was perceived as defaming 1980s pro-democracy movements.
Investigators searched the Starbucks headquarters in southern Seoul on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday.
Police gave no further details, but South Korean media reported investigators were also sent to the residences of Starbucks executives.
The coffee chain triggered a public uproar when it attempted to promote stainless-steel tumblers it called “SS Tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day”. The date marks the anniversary of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally oppressed by South Korea’s then military-backed rulers.
The campaign also used the slogan “Thwack it on the table”, which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Authorities had falsely said Park died after investigators “hit the desk with a thwack”.
The public outrage prompted Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, to cancel the campaign within hours. It also fired the CEO of Starbucks Korea. Shinsegae chair Chung Yong-jin later issued a televised apology. Starbucks Korea closed all its stores nationwide early on June 22 for mandatory history and social sensitivity training.
The police investigation was launched after complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records said left about 200 people dead.
South Korea achieved a genuine democracy in 1987 when then authoritarian president Chun Doo-hwan, who led the Gwangju crackdown, was forced to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections in the face of massive pro-democracy demonstrations.
AP
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