The ‘Tank Day’ event has been described as ‘malicious mockery’ of a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protestersThe chief executive of Starbucks in South Korea has been fired after the company ran a promotional event using slogans that evoked a massacre of pro-democracy protesters during the country’s dictatorship era, sparking outrage and boycott calls.The coffee chain launched a “Tank Day” campaign on 18 May for its “Tank” tumbler series. The date coincides with one of the most politically sensitive days in South Korea’s calendar, when citizens commemorate the 1980 democratisation movement in Gwangju, 167 miles (270km) south-west of Seoul. Continue reading...

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/18/ceo-starbucks-in-south-korea-fired-over-controversial-ad-campaign