Choi Jun-hee, the daughter of the late actress Choi Jin-sil, explained the controversial "Starbucks proof shot."
A photo Jun-hee posted on her personal social media on the 27th became the center of controversy. Currently on a honeymoon in Los Angeles, U.S., with a husband 11 years her senior, she visited Universal Studios and revealed a photo of herself drinking Starbucks coffee.
The timing of Jun-hee's proof shot became significant and sparked the controversy. Recently, Starbucks Korea on May 18 sold the "Tank tumbler series" through its application, using phrases such as "Tank Day" and "Plop on the desk!," which caused controversy. Many netizens and civic groups pointed out that it evoked memories of the deployment of tanks by martial law forces during the May 18 Democratic Uprising and the 1987 torture death of Park Jong-chul, and Starbucks Korea deleted the related post. Shinsegae chairman Chung Yong-jin also pledged to prevent recurrence, calling it "inappropriate marketing that should never have happened and cannot be tolerated."
Despite that, as the controversy continued, Chung Yong-jin issued a public apology on the 26th, saying, "We will fundamentally reexamine internal systems and the risk management framework and raise standards for social responsibility. We will start over from the beginning to regain the public's trust by producing real change through actions, not words."
As posts Jun-hee left on her personal social media last year, such as "I want to live in a country without the left" and "As election day approaches, I feel impatient," were reexamined, suspicions deepened that Jun-hee had shown political leanings.
Opinions are divided over Jun-hee's "Starbucks proof shot." Some netizens say that given the ongoing Starbucks controversy in Korea, and the fact that she is on her honeymoon at this time, she should not have gone out of her way to post a proof shot and reveal political leanings. They note it has been about two weeks since she was happily married, and with the nationwide local elections about a week away, it is inappropriate for an influencer to show political leanings.
On the other hand, many argue that because she is enjoying her honeymoon and is currently in the U.S., she may not be fully aware of the Starbucks controversy in Korea. In the end, Jun-hee said of her feelings, "Why would I deliberately prove something as if I had some grievance about that incident?"
Jun-hee said, "There was just a Starbucks at Universal and I just bought that, and my followers know this, but today my styling is almost bare-faced, level 2 of casual, so I just wanted to hide my face with the cup and take a picture. I'm really, really sorry. I'm busy with work and sending off my honeymoon; I don't have time to deliberately recall that Starbucks matter and dwell on it," and added, "And I'm in America, so whether someone else buys and drinks coffee or not, why do they run inflammatory articles like that?"
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