Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, issued an official apology over the "May 18 tank day" marketing controversy, but organizations related to May 18 said they could not accept the apology, calling it "insincere."
The three May 18 public corporations and the May 18 Memorial Foundation held a press conference in front of the former South Jeolla Provincial Government building in Dong-gu, Gwangju, on the afternoon of the 26th, saying, "The crux of the issue is how lightly corporations treated the wounds of May and the memory of state violence," and added, "This is not something that can be brushed aside with a few lines of apology."
The groups said they were particularly "deeply disappointed" that the chairman referred to the incident as "a simple employee mistake" and said "a variety of opinions can exist in the world," criticizing it as "rubbing salt into the wounds of victims of state violence and the bereaved."
They continued, "Starbucks Korea is failing to properly grasp why the public launched a boycott and the point of their anger," adding, "An apology without responsibility and an explanation without sincerity cannot quell citizens' anger."
The groups also urged, "Rather than hiding behind a written apology, the chairman should take full responsibility and step down on his own." They further claimed that Starbucks attempted individual contact with members of May groups and said, "We will not accept this."
They also called on the government and political parties to amend the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement to allow punishment for defamation and ridicule of the May 18 Democratization Movement.
Earlier, at a press conference that day, the chairman said, "As chairman of Shinsegae Group, I sincerely bow my head in apology and ask for forgiveness," adding, "I take seriously the fact that many people felt deep pain and anger due to the inappropriate marketing."