Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin (정용진) personally issued a public apology over a marketing controversy involving Starbucks Korea and May 18.

Chung said on May 19 he bows his head in apology on behalf of the group to the spirits of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, their bereaved families and the public. The group chief moved to make a public apology a day after the company took a hardline step of immediately dismissing Starbucks Korea CEO Jeonghyeon Son (손정현) and an executive in charge.

In the apology statement, Chung defined the case as an inexcusable wrongdoing that made light of the pain and sacrifices of all those who have devoted themselves to democracy in the country. He said he keenly feels that all responsibility for the incident lies with him. He added that the group as a whole lacked historical awareness and sensitivity toward the historical pain of the South Korean community.

He also promised to prevent a recurrence by broadly reviewing the group's decision-making system. Chung spelled out follow-up steps in the statement. He said there will be a thorough investigation into how the incident occurred and the approval process, and the results will be disclosed transparently. He said the group will recheck review procedures for marketing content across all affiliates, while also overhauling deliberation procedures and specifying content standards. He also promised history awareness and ethics education for all employees, including himself.

The controversy stems from Starbucks Korea's online "Tank Day" event on May 18. Promotional materials for a discount on a tumbler set named "Tank" included the phrase "Bang on the desk!" Criticism immediately erupted that it evoked the May 18 martial law forces' tanks and the torture death of activist Park Jong-chul. Starbucks Korea halted the event as soon as it recognized the problem, but condemnation and calls for a boycott spread among civic groups including the Gwangju Jeonnam Memorial Solidarity and online users.

Shinsegae Group immediately dismissed Son and the executive in charge on the day of the controversy and began disciplinary procedures for all related employees. In the apology statement, Chung again said he sincerely apologises to the spirits of May 18 who were deeply wounded by the incident, their bereaved families, Gwangju citizens, Park Jong-chul's bereaved family, all those who sacrificed for the country's democracy, and the public.