Starbucks sees sharp drop in Korea sales
Key takeaways
- In a press conference on Tuesday, Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin made a public apology and asked people not to take out any anger on Starbucks Korea employees and frontline staff.
- “I take it very seriously that Starbucks Korea’s inappropriate marketing hurt and angered many people,” Chung said. “I will take all responsibility for the incident.”
- Hundreds of people are estimated to have died or gone missing when the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan cracked down on the protests in Gwangju.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize Starbucks Korea has suffered a “very significant” drop in sales after a marketing campaign that evoked a brutal 1980 military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters triggered a public outcry, an official from the operator Shinsegae Group said on Tuesday.
The retailer, whose subsidiary E-Mart owns the coffee chain in South Korea, has faced mounting criticism over its ‘Tank Day’ tumbler marketing campaign launched on the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, when the military government deployed troops and tanks to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin made a public apology and asked people not to take out any anger on Starbucks Korea employees and frontline staff.