Police question Shinsegae official over Starbucks Korea's 'Tank Day' promotion

Police said Wednesday they were questioning the head of Shinsegae Group's audit team over allegations that its affiliate Starbucks Korea insulted victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement with its controversial marketing campaign.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency called in Yang Jong-hwan to question the results of the group's weeklong internal inspection of the incident in May.

Starbucks Korea, operated by Emart, launched an online "Tank Day" promotion on May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement.

The coffee franchise launched a discount event for "Tank" tumbler sets. The promotional event drew widespread criticism, with the use of the word "tank" evoking memories of the military violently clamping down on pro-democracy protesters. The promotion also used the controversial phrase, “Tak! on the desk!” The phrase recalls the infamous police statement issued after student activist Park Jong-cheol’s death by torture in 1987. “Tak” is Korean onomatopoeia used to describe a sharp sound, often from one object hitting another, similar to the English language’s “bang.”

Announcing the results of the internal probe last month, Shinsegae Group said it found no evidence backing allegations that the promotional event was organized with the deliberate intent to mock the Gwangju movement. But it also acknowledged limitations of the inspection, citing some company officials' refusal to submit their mobile phones for digital forensics.

Police are expected to seek search and seizure warrants to secure the mobile phone data that Shinsegae's audit team was unable to obtain.

Yonhap