Chung Yong-jin bows his head on 'Tank Day': "An inexcusable mistake"

The controversy over Starbucks Korea's 'Tank Day' event is spreading across Shinsegae Group. After the dismissal of Starbucks Korea's chief, Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin also issued a direct public apology, signaling a sweeping overhaul of the group's marketing system.
■Chung Yong-jin says it was "an inexcusable mistake"
According to Shinsegae Group on the 19th, Chairman Chung issued a public apology that day and said, "Yesterday, the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, Starbucks Korea, a Shinsegae Group affiliate, carried out inappropriate marketing that should never have happened and could not be tolerated." He added, "We caused deep pain to the spirits of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, the bereaved families, and the public. On behalf of the group, I bow my head and apologize."
He went on to say, "This was an inexcusable mistake that trivialized the suffering and sacrifice of all those who have devoted themselves to democracy." He added, "We are taking seriously the fact that the entire group lacked sufficient historical awareness and sensitivity to the historical pain of our society."
Chung stressed, "I deeply feel that all responsibility for this incident lies with me." He added, "We will thoroughly review the group's decision-making system to make sure this does not happen again."
Shinsegae Group said it will thoroughly investigate how the incident occurred and the approval process behind it, then disclose the findings. It also plans to review the screening process for marketing content across all affiliates and revise its review procedures and standards. In addition, the group will provide history-awareness and ethics education to all employees, including Chung. He added, "Once again, I sincerely apologize to the spirits of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, the bereaved families, the citizens of Gwangju, the family of martyr Park Jong-chul, everyone who sacrificed for democracy, and the public."
On the 18th, the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, Starbucks ran a Tank Tumbler promotion and used the expressions 'Tank Day' and 'Bang on the desk!' Online communities and politicians quickly criticized the wording, saying it may have mocked the military's tank crackdown during the May 18 Democratic Uprising and the 1987 torture death of martyr Park Jong-chul.
As the backlash grew, Starbucks Korea immediately suspended the promotion, and Jeonghyeon Son, the company's chief, along with the executive in charge, were abruptly dismissed. An industry source said, "I understand Chairman Chung was so enraged that he dismissed Starbucks executives in less than a day after the issue surfaced." The source added, "At Chung's direction, a high-intensity review of marketing processes will be carried out not only at Starbucks but across all group affiliates."
■A higher standard of historical awareness demanded
In the retail industry, there are concerns that the incident could go beyond a simple event controversy and damage the group's overall brand image. Boycott movements have spread mainly through online communities and social media, and the phrase 'Talbeok,' meaning to leave Starbucks, has even emerged.
Professor Suh Yong Gu of Sookmyung Women's University said, "Retail companies deal with an unspecified number of consumers, so they are expected to maintain a high level of ethical standards and historical awareness." He added, "They need safeguards, such as internal ethics committees or audit systems, to screen advertising copy and event marketing in advance."
Meanwhile, Kim Soo-wan, vice chairman of Shinsegae Group, visited the Gwangju May 18 Memorial Culture Center on the day and tried to apologize to May Organizations, but the meeting did not take place. The May 18 groups reportedly rejected the apology, saying it was a unilateral visit without prior coordination. Shinsegae Group, however, said it had spoken with the May 18 Memorial Foundation the previous day and received permission to visit. Kim told reporters, "I sincerely apologize to the May Martyrs." He added, "Once the details are confirmed, I will visit again and apologize."
Lee Jeong-hwa, Kyung-ho Park, Kim Hyun-ji
clean@fnnews.com Reporter