Shinsegae Group immediately dismissed Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun over a controversy on the May 18 anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising. Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin (정용진) ordered a strict internal investigation as soon as he was briefed on the inappropriate marketing case at Starbucks Korea on May 18. He also directly instructed that severe disciplinary action be taken against those involved.

Shinsegae Group said it placed particular importance on the fact that the incident occurred on a commemorative day that honors the noble spirit of the May 18 Gwangju pro-democracy movement. An executive in charge who planned and oversaw the event with Son was also dismissed. Disciplinary procedures were also launched for all related executives and employees.

Shinsegae Group said, "As soon as Chairman Chung Yong-jin was briefed on this matter, he ordered a strict and thorough internal investigation, and because he considers the matter very serious, he took the extraordinary step of dismissing the CEO." The group said it plans to rebuild work processes to prevent a recurrence and to conduct education to instill historical awareness within the organization.

Ahead of the dismissal announcement, Son conveyed his deep apologies in a written statement to the spirits of May 18, May organizations, Gwangju citizens, and all parties related to democratization, including the bereaved family of activist Park Jong-chul.

The controversy stemmed from an online "Tank Day" event run by Starbucks Korea on the morning of May 18. Promotional material for an event selling a tumbler set called "Tank" at a 10 to 21 percent discount included the phrase "A bang on the desk!" Critics immediately pointed out that "Tank" evokes the armored vehicles deployed by martial law forces during the May 18 events in 1980, and that "A bang on the desk" recalls a remark by the military regime that sought to cover up the 1987 torture death of activist Park Jong-chul.

The Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity said in a statement that day, "'Tank' evokes the May 18 martial law forces' tanks, and 'A bang on the desk' evokes the tragedy of 'He hit the desk and he died with an 'eok',' which was used to cover up the Park Jong-chul case," and strongly protested. It added, "It is suspected this is not the result of a biased historical view by management being subtly expressed under the guise of marketing," and urged, "We strongly condemn Starbucks Korea for insulting the spirits of May with a vulgar historical view." Calls for a boycott also spread on social media.

Starbucks Korea halted the event as soon as it recognized the promotional wording was inappropriate. In his apology, Son said, "Before launching the event, the content was not thoroughly reviewed internally," and added, "To prevent a recurrence, we will improve internal processes and provide historical awareness education for all employees."

He did not separately provide a detailed explanation of how the wording was chosen. Shinsegae Group said it will strengthen pre-screening procedures at every stage of preparing all events, including marketing, to prevent similar incidents from recurring.