Police raid Starbucks Korea’s headquarters in Seoul over ‘Tank Day’ event

Police raided the headquarters of Starbucks Korea in Seoul as part of an investigation into allegations that the company's "Tank Day" promotion defamed victims of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising. The promotion, which launched on May 18, featured large tumblers and sparked outrage as it coincided with the anniversary of the Gwangju uprising, in which at least 165 civilians were killed by a military dictatorship.

A civic group and bereaved families had filed a complaint against Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks Korea, accusing them of defaming and insulting the victims and relatives. The complaint named Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted the raid, which was part of an ongoing investigation into the firm. According to Yonhap News, police identified shortcomings in Starbucks Korea's internal inspection into the controversial campaign and are investigating whether company officials planned the event with the intent to insult those involved in the pro-democracy movement.

Brief written by urgent.news from Japan Times, Free Malaysia Today, Yonhap News — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.