The Democratic Party of Korea sharply criticized Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin's apology over the controversy surrounding Starbucks' "May 18 mockery marketing," saying it "lacks sincerity." The party reversed in just half a day the chief spokesperson's morning assessment that the apology was "sincere," returning to a hardline stance. Meanwhile, some within the party urged restraint in pressuring corporations, creating internal confusion.
"In a word, there is no sincerity," Cho Seung-rae, secretary-general of the Democratic Party, said at a press briefing at the National Assembly on Wednesday. "There is no sincerity in any aspect — the cause of the incident, future preventive measures, or the content and form of the apology."
He continued, "May 18 patriots and victims are calling it an 'absurd apology' that 'has no substance and no sincerity.' Reactions even include comments such as 'this is a result that mocks us' and 'it feels like secondary harm.'"
Cho also took issue with the explanation process from Chung's side. "Without an accurate understanding of why such a misguided marketing occurred, they offered sophistry such as 'we asked AI' and 'we looked at the water tank,'" he said. "It is utterly difficult to understand or accept."
Democratic Party leader Jung Cheong-rae also wrote on Facebook, "It is bitter to see this belated apology." He added, "Considering his far-right remarks and behavior up to now, I cannot shake the suspicion that this is a pretentious apology meant to weather the storm." He stressed, "A true apology requires responsibility and action," and said, "It falls far short for those who have been hurt."
The Democratic Party had shown a relatively conciliatory tone earlier Wednesday morning. Chief spokesperson Kang Jun-hyun said at a morning press briefing regarding Chung's apology, "I see it as sincere," and assessed that "it seems to have been well concluded." However, after pushback from the party leadership and May 18 organizations, he reversed his position.
Kang issued a separate statement in the afternoon, apologizing that "it was an immature response." He said, "I did not consider the matter with sufficient depth and expressed myself carelessly." He added, "The morning remarks were not discussed in advance with the party," and stated, "A sincere apology should have been accompanied by a fact-finding investigation, responsible measures, and steps to prevent recurrence."
However, differences in tone over the hardline response were also detected within the party. Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party's candidate for Daegu mayor, said on Facebook on the same day, "Now that Chairman Chung has clearly acknowledged his responsibility, I hope this matter can stop here." He added, "The government and political circles should not move toward publicly pressuring specific companies or criticizing consumption itself."
In response, Cho said, "We need to distinguish between issues concerning the company and criticism of the management's attitude." He explained, "I understand that candidate Kim made his remarks from the perspective of investment and the economy."
