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South Korean police raid Starbucks Korea headquarters to investigate controversial marketing campaign

South Korean police raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea in southern Seoul on Tuesday to investigate a marketing campaign accused of defaming the country's 1980s pro-democracy movements. The coffee chain faced a public outcry after launching a "Tank Day" promotion for its "SS Tank" tumblers on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a period where hundreds of civilians were allegedly killed by military forces. The campaign also featured the slogan "Thwack it on the table!" which many interpreted as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement used to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chul. Following the backlash, Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in the company, canceled the promotion and fired the chief executive of Starbucks Korea. President Lee Jae Myung criticized the campaign as an insult to the victims of the G900 uprising. The administration announced a government-level boycott of Starbucks, while the opposition leader responded by holding up a Starbucks cup as a symbol of opposition to the Lee Jae-Myung government.

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