Police in Seoul have raided Starbucks Korea’s headquarters over a controversial “Tank Day” promotion, intensifying a months-long backlash that has already cost top executives their jobs and shaken one of Asia’s most prominent coffee markets.
On 5 August 2026, around 40 investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Public Crimes Investigation Unit carried out a search-and-seizure operation at Starbucks Korea’s offices in the Centerfield building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, from 8:50 a.m. until roughly 6:20 p.m., according to Yonhap and Financial News.
The warrant cited alleged insult of figures associated with South Korea’s May 18 Democratization Movement, including student activist Park Jong-chol, and sought internal promotion-planning and approval documents, messenger records and employees’ mobile phones, Yonhap and the Korea Herald reported. Police told Yonhap they are examining whether company officials planned the campaign with intent to insult those connected to the pro-democracy movement.
The investigation stems from Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” marketing event, which offered discounts on “Tank” tumbler sets accompanied by the slogan “Put it on the table with a sound of ‘Tak!'”, according to Yonhap and Financial News. The campaign launched on 18 May 2026, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising, but was scrapped within hours amid an online outcry, Yonhap said.
Critics linked the word “tank” to the military vehicles deployed during the 1980 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and argued that “tak” echoed the onomatopoeic description associated with the 1987 torture death of Park Jong-chol, according to Yonhap and the Associated Press.
Civic groups, victims of the May 18 movement and online users condemned the promotion, and some consumers called for a boycott of Starbucks Korea, Yonhap reported. On 20 May, May 18 victims and a civic group filed criminal complaints against Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and others, alleging violations of the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement, insult and defamation, according to Financial News and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
The political response has added to the pressure. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung denounced the promotion on X as “inhumane behavior by lowly profiteers” and called for those responsible to be held accountable, according to Yonhap.
Shinsegae Group, which controls Starbucks Korea through key affiliate E-Mart, moved quickly to respond internally. On the day the controversy erupted, the company dismissed then-Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jeong-hyun and another executive, the Korea Herald reported, while Yonhap said Shinsegae Chairman Chung fired Son on 18 May.
Chairman Chung has repeatedly apologized over the incident. In a statement carried by Yonhap, he said, “We have caused deep pain to the spirits of those who died in the May 18 democratization movement, their bereaved families and the Korean people. I bow my head in apology on behalf of the group.” The Associated Press reported that Chung issued a second apology on 26 May.
While AP noted that Shinsegae’s internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, Yonhap reported that police have identified shortcomings in that internal inspection as they pursue the criminal probe.
According to Yonhap and Financial News, investigators will now analyze the seized documents, mobile phones and digital records to reconstruct how the promotion was developed, assess each person’s degree of involvement, and determine whether there was intent to insult May 18 Democratization Movement figures.
