Starbucks' U.S. headquarters has issued a formal apology to organizations representing the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement over the "Tank Day" controversy, calling it "inappropriate marketing that should never have happened."
The May 18 Memorial Foundation said Friday it had received such a response from Starbucks' U.S. headquarters.
In its reply to the foundation, Starbucks headquarters said, "We apologize for the historical significance of the May 18 Democratization Movement and the pain of its victims," adding that "the demands of the May organizations have been reported to senior internal management."
Earlier, the three May 18 statutory organizations (the Association of the Injured, the Association of Meritorious Persons, and the Bereaved Families Association) along with the foundation sent a letter of protest to Starbucks headquarters on Sunday, demanding a headquarters-level fact-finding investigation, a formal apology, and responsible follow-up measures.
They also requested on the 29th of last month that the National Pension Service, the second-largest shareholder of E-Mart, review measures to exercise shareholder rights against E-Mart, the largest shareholder of Starbucks Korea. In response, the service delivered a reply on Tuesday to the effect that it "will review the contents of the proposal."
In addition, the foundation said that after it demanded that companies and advertising agencies that had placed ads on Ilbe Storehouse (Ilbe), a far-right community where posts distorting the May 18 movement are uploaded, stop their advertising, all related ads were halted.
Starbucks Korea launched a tumbler named "Tank" on the 18th of last month, the anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement, and referred to it as "Tank Day." In the process of promoting it, the company used the expression "Slammed on the desk!" and was criticized for evoking the torture death of the late activist Park Jong-chul. On the 26th, eight days after the controversy first erupted, Chairman Chung issued a public apology, but consumer backlash has not subsided.
As a follow-up measure, Starbucks temporarily eased its criteria for refunding Starbucks Card balances from the 1st to the 14th of this month. Previously, customers had to spend at least 60% of their final recharged amount to be eligible for a balance refund, but now full refunds are supported regardless of the usage ratio. The company also temporarily suspended its annual summer e-Frequency event and the release of some seasonal products.
