Home > Business > Industry

Want to know a Korean's political leanings? Ask them about the Starbucks Korea case.

Published: 02 Jun. 2026, 18:34 Updated: 02 Jun. 2026, 20:16

KIM MIN-YOUNG
[email protected]

Chung Yong-jin, chairman of the Shinsegae Group, apologizes over the Starbucks Korea ″Tank Day″ controversy at the Josun Palace hotel in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 26, 2026. [YONHAP]

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

What began as a tone-deaf tumbler promotion has, in the space of two weeks, become one of the most politically charged corporate controversies in recent Korean memory, splitting consumers along partisan lines and drawing in the president and rival parties ahead of the June 3 local elections.

Much of the reason the affair escalated so far lies not in the promotion itself but in the public record of the man at the top of the company. Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, the conglomerate behind Starbucks Korea, is unusual among Korean conglomerate leaders for having spent years cultivating an openly conservative political persona rather than a quiet neutrality.

Chung was also among the first Korean business figures to meet U.S. President Donald Trump after the 2024 U.S. election, citing an evangelical Christian connection with Trump's eldest son. His Instagram followers have included former president Yoon Suk Yeol and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Why the skepticism?

On May 18, the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju democratization movement, Starbucks Korea launched a tumbler promotion called "Tank Day." "Tank" evoked memories of the military tanks that rolled into Gwangju to put down the May 18 Democratization Movement, and is also a term used by right-wingers online to glorify former dictator Chun Doo Hwan,

The May 18 Democratization Movement, in which a military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators left hundreds — possibly thousands — dead in 1980, holds singular weight for Korea's liberal bloc as a foundational memory of its struggle against authoritarian rule, and an apparent slight from a company led by a prominent conservative figure became a political flashpoint within hours.

That history is why, on both sides of Korea's political divide, few were willing to treat a promotion that landed on the anniversary of a massacre as an accident. Chung made a public apology at the Josun Palace Hotel in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 26, where executives presented the findings of an internal investigation into 15 staff members, which found no clear evidence of intent.

And this is also one reason President Lee Jae Myung, affiliated with the liberal Democratic Party (DP), was so quick to criticize Starbucks Korea right after the blunder, alongside DP leader Jung Chung-rae, who instructed party campaigners to refrain from visiting Starbucks during the local election period.

President Lee posted a second criticism on May 23, and Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung declared a personal boycott, as several government agencies suspended partnerships with Starbucks Korea. The DP called Chung's apology sincere, but May 18 survivor groups and Gwangju resident organizations rejected it as inadequate.

As the liberal government and the DP pressed the boycott, the PPP recast the campaign against Starbucks as political overreach and rallied to the brand's defense.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok characterized the boycott as a "kangaroo court" staged for the election, urging supporters to carry Starbucks cups to the polls and framing the vote as a contest between "Lee Jae Myung's hard-liners and free citizens."

PPP lawmaker Kim Min-jeon, defending the promotion, argued that for a beverage company, the word "tank" naturally referred to a liquid container. A three-star general turned PPP lawmaker, Han Ki-ho, declared that Starbucks would become a "base for patriots oriented toward conservatism and liberal democracy."

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Sept 4, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Proxy signifier

The brand, in other words, has become a proxy. Liberal consumers have posted videos of people smashing Starbucks mugs and tumblers, while some conservatives have turned a visit to Starbucks into a statement of political identity. Selfies have come to function in both directions, as proof of a boycott for one side and proof of loyalty for the other.

"If you look at Chairman Chung's apology statement, he never actually explained what he had done wrong," said Go Jae-dae, secretary general of the May 18 Foundation. "There wasn't even a real explanation of the actions themselves."

During his apology, Chung said that "this is a time when greater efforts are needed to understand one another and move forward together," adding that "people may hold different views, but I believe we all share the same desire to build a better Republic of Korea and leave a better world for future generations.”

"What was even more shocking was the suggestion that people could simply have 'different' views regarding the history of the May 18 Democratic Uprising," said Go. "That made many people question the sincerity of the apology. Can something expressed through this kind of marketing campaign really be reduced to merely 'different' opinions?"

"It's obvious that something wrong was done," said a comment under a news article about Chung. "But why do people have to go so far as to tear someone apart like this? Every tragedy in Korea seems to become a crusade. "

Some seem to be using the coffee chain, even if they disagree with Chung's politics.

"All in all, maybe the guy knew, or he didn't," said Kim Jung-wook, who was picking up an iced Americano on his way to work on Tuesday. "The fact that they couldn't catch it in the works is the problem, and you had an owner that did weird things back in the day, and that alone makes it suspicious."

"But there are just too many of these [Starbucks] cafes," said Kim, taking a sip out of the plastic cup. "And I need that coffee for the commute, so here I am."

Members of 146 civic groups hold a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, Seoul, on Wednesday, calling for a nationwide boycott of Starbucks and denouncing Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin. [NEWS1]

An anti-communist

For years, Chung has cultivated an openly conservative persona built around myeolgong, a Cold War-era slogan meaning "annihilate communism" associated with Korea's authoritarian past.

On Jan. 5, 2022, he posted a photo of a hangover cure captioned "I'll survive to the end. Myeolgong," which Instagram removed for incitement. He doubled down with posts referencing Chinese President Xi Jinping and using anti-communist hashtags to protest the removal of the content. Instagram cited system errors, and the original Jan. 5 post was restored that day.

Then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol and conservative People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Na Kyung-won joined the myeolgong hashtag campaign the same year in what was dubbed the Myeolgong Challenge.

However, the record is striking, in part, for how quickly Chung reversed course when business interests intervened.

"My #myeolgong has absolutely nothing to do with China," Chung wrote in an Instagram post on Jan. 7, 2022. "I am someone who has not the slightest interest in whether another country is communist or democratic. If I go to another country, I simply respect that country's system and laws."

"My anti-communism is directed solely at those living above us," wrote Chung, widely interpreted as referring to North Korea. "I hope people stop trying to link me with China."

On Jan. 28, 2022, three weeks after Instagram removed his anti-communism post, he uploaded a photo welcoming Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming and expressing anticipation for the coming Beijing Olympics.

Shinsegae shares fell as much as 8.2 percent intraday before closing down 6.8 percent on Jan. 10, 2022, and major affiliates dropped sharply, erasing hundreds of billions of won in combined market value, much like what happened during this year's Tank Day controversy.