Starbucks Korea has fired its CEO, Son Jung-hyun, after a marketing campaign for a new line of tumblers triggered widespread outrage. The promotion, which the company called "Tank Day," was launched on the 46th anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising-a pivotal pro-democracy movement brutally suppressed by the military, with tanks rolling into the streets.
President Lee Jae-myung, attending anniversary commemorations, called the stunt a mockery of the victims, calling it "inhumane and disgraceful." Eom-sung-yong, chief of parent company Shinsegae Group, made the decision to remove Son as the company issued a formal apology.
Starbucks Korea acknowledged the "highly inappropriate" wording and promised mandatory training to improve historical awareness and ethical standards among staff.