Minister Song Mi-ryung of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, referring to the Starbucks controversy over the "Tank Day" promotion, said, "It would be good if, on this occasion, you could also drink a lot of teas made with our good domestically grown agricultural products and produce."
On the 25th, the Minister appeared on the YouTube channel "Jang Yoon-seon's Reporting Convenience Store" and said this. When the host asked about the Agriculture Ministry's response to the Starbucks situation, the Minister was reported to have said it was "very regrettable."
The Minister said, "We should take a grave look at the situation," adding, "Excessive mockery or belittlement is very unfortunate."
Earlier, when Starbucks ran the so-called "Tank Day" promotion on the day of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement anniversary and became embroiled in a controversy over disparaging May 18, a boycott has been spreading in the civil service.
▲Ministry of the Interior and Safety ▲Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs ▲Ministry of National Defense ▲Ministry of Justice ▲Ministry of Health and Welfare, among others, have begun boycotting Starbucks products. However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it has no official position on whether to join the Starbucks boycott.
An official at the Agriculture Ministry said, "We sympathize with the purpose of the boycott, but there will be no response at the ministry level."
On this day, the Minister appeared on the channel for about 30 minutes to promote one year of policy achievements since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration. The Minister emphasized, "Since the implementation of a basic income program for rural communities, the population in the target areas has increased by 4.7 percent," adding, "Buds that can contribute to balanced regional development have just begun to sprout."
The a basic income program for rural communities provides 150,000 won each month to residents living in areas selected among 69 counties designated as depopulation regions. Payments are made via local gift certificates, and it has been implemented in 10 counties since the end of Feb.
In addition, the Minister mentioned achieving $10.4 billion in K-food exports, a fruit snack program for children, and resumption of related initiatives.