{"id":1511,"date":"2026-06-16T06:40:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=1511"},"modified":"2026-06-16T06:40:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:40:15","slug":"starbucks-korea-called-a-tumbler-ss-tank-on-a-military-anniversary-now-every-store-is-closing-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=1511","title":{"rendered":"Starbucks Korea called a tumbler \u2018SS Tank\u2019 on a military anniversary. Now every store is closing early"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, said group executives and employees at Starbucks Korea\u2019s headquarters will attend training led by history and sociology professors on Wednesday. All Starbucks stores nationwide will close at 3 p.m. next Monday so employees can watch a recording of the session, Shinsegae said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Read more BYD wants to become the world\u2019s largest automaker in five years. Stella Li is the executive selling that vision to the world<\/a><\/p>\n

The coffee chain triggered an uproar when it attempted to promote a series of stainless-steel tumblers it called \u201cSS Tank\u201d by declaring May 18 to be \u201cTank Day.\u201d The date marks the anniversary of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju. It was violently suppressed by Seoul\u2019s military government at the time, which deployed troops, tanks and helicopters, leaving hundreds dead or injured.<\/p>\n

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The campaign further fueled outrage by using the slogan \u201cThwack it on the table!\u201d which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Authorities had falsely said Park died after investigators \u201chit the desk with a thwack.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the promotion sparking immediate backlash, Shinsegae canceled it within hours and fired the chief executive of Starbucks Korea. Shinsegae Chairman\u00a0Chung Yong-jin\u00a0later issued a nationally televised apology as police opened an investigation following complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown. Chung will undergo separate training with the chief executives of Shinsegae affiliates on June 24.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump sets dinner date at Versailles Palace with Macron after G7 Summit<\/a><\/p>\n

Shinsegae said the decision to close all Starbucks stores early for the first time since the chain\u2019s 1999 launch in South Korea and require companywide training shows \u201chow seriously it views the marketing controversy and its determination to prevent a recurrence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crackdown in Gwangju came months after General\u00a0Chun Doo-hwan\u00a0seized power in a coup in late 1979. Government records show about 200 people died in Gwangju, but activists say the true death toll was much higher. Chun\u2019s government also imprisoned tens of thousands, saying it was rooting out social evils.<\/p>\n

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Public anger over Chun\u2019s dictatorship led to massive nationwide protests in 1987, forcing him to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections, which is widely seen as the start of South Korea\u2019s transition to democracy.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Duce! Duce!\u2019 Tens of thousands march in Rome as a fascist-tinged deportation petition hits Parliament<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The slogan “Thwack it on the table!” \u2014 a phrase lifted from a 1987 torture cover-up \u2014 turned a tumbler launch into a crisis and a police investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-starbucks"],"yoast_head":"\nStarbucks Korea called a tumbler \u2018SS Tank\u2019 on a military anniversary. 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