In the Seoul mayoral race, a Starbucks boycott has become a hot topic.
People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon wrote on Facebook on the 24th, "Starbucks clearly did wrong. There is no excuse. But it has been hit enough at this point."
He criticized President Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party of Korea for continuing a Starbucks boycott after the "Tank Day" controversy, in which Starbucks Korea was accused of making light of the May 18 pro-democracy movement.
Oh said, "Private boycotts and criticism by the media and civic groups are entirely free," but added, "It is an entirely different matter for a president who can exercise public authority, and for a candidate of the ruling party running to become Seoul mayor, to step in directly."
Oh said, "I heard that candidate Chung also issued a Starbucks ban in the campaign," criticizing it as "a very swift and precise effort to match the president's code."
Candidate Chong Won-o pushed back, saying there is nothing wrong with the Starbucks boycott. After campaigning at Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin District, Seoul, that afternoon, Chung met with reporters and, responding to Oh's remark, asked, "Then is Oh going to at least post a Starbucks proof shot?"
On the narrowing poll gap, Chung said, "Even a few months ago, when the difference was 20 percentage points, I said it was a close race," adding, "I anticipated that consolidation between camps would make it a battleground, and as expected it is becoming a tight race."