South Korean Police Raid Starbucks Headquarters Over 'Tank Day' Ad Controversy
South Korean police raided the Starbucks headquarters on Wednesday (5/8) local time. The raid is linked to the “Tank Day” incident, which triggered allegations that the Starbucks advertising campaign defamed activists killed during the 1980 pro-democracy protests.
Starbucks Korea, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (5/8/2026), caused a stir this year when it launched its “Tank Day” promotion on 18 May, advertising a new line of large-capacity tumblers for its coffee drinks.
The date coincided with the anniversary of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, when at least 165 civilians were killed as South Korea’s military dictatorship deployed tanks onto the streets.
The coffee chain was accused of trivialising the country’s historic protest movement and insulting those who died during the demonstrations, who are remembered as martyrs by many South Koreans.
Civil society groups and grieving families of the victims filed complaints accusing Shinsegae Group, the company that operates Starbucks Korea, of defamation and insulting the victims and their families.
“The Seoul Metropolitan Police raided the Starbucks Korea headquarters this morning as part of an ongoing investigation,” a Shinsegae Group spokesperson told AFP, while declining to provide further details.
Seoul police said the investigation into the company was still ongoing but were unwilling to give additional information about the case.
The complaints against Starbucks Korea named Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong Jin and former Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung Hyun, who was dismissed over the ensuing furore.
The advertising controversy also echoed phrases once used by officials at the time to dismiss allegations that they had tortured a student activist to death.
South Korea is the coffee giant’s third-largest market, after the United States, where the company was founded, and China.
The controversy prompted a public apology and the simultaneous early closure of more than 2,000 of the chain’s outlets across South Korea in June, to provide staff with education on the history.
Shinsegae Group previously stated that its internal investigation found no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing. However, the company acknowledged limitations in its audit, such as the refusal of the executive responsible for planning the advertising campaign to hand over his mobile phone.
According to Yonhap News Agency and KBS, police investigators are searching for evidence not included in the company’s internal investigation.