Starbucks sparked controversy for using the phrase "Tank Day" in an event held on the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement.
On the 18th, Starbucks held a "Dante·Tank·Nasu Day" event and unveiled a "color tank tumbler set" and a "tank duo set." The event wording also included the phrase "tak on the desk."
In response, there have been claims online and on social media (SNS) that the expression denigrates the May 18 Democratization Movement. In particular, designating Tank Day as May 18 is being criticized as a far-right online community expression that belittles May 18.
Some internet users reacted by saying, "The May 18 Tank Day event was highly intentional," and "They crossed a line."
There was also criticism that the accompanying phrase "tak on the desk" evokes the statement the National Police Headquarters released during the 1987 Park Jong-cheol torture death case: "We hit the desk with a tak, and he went 'ugh' and died."
As the controversy intensified, Starbucks Korea halted the event and said in a statement, "As part of the Buddy Week event running through the 26th, we discovered that inappropriate wording was used in the process of promoting Dante·Tank·Nasu tumblers," adding, "We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort and concern to our customers." It continued, "The event has now been suspended," and "We will review and improve our internal processes to prevent similar cases in the future."
The Democratic Party of Korea said in a written briefing, "It does not end simply because (Starbucks) belatedly revised the wording and suspended the event after the controversy erupted," adding, "It must clearly and fully explain the whole story to the public and immediately establish measures to prevent a recurrence."