Police conduct a search and seizure at the Starbucks Korea headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Police conduct a search and seizure at the Starbucks Korea headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

May 18 civic groups urged police Wednesday to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation after authorities raided the Starbucks Korea headquarters over allegations that its "Tank Day" promotion mocked victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

Three May 18 organizations — the Bereaved Families Association, the Wounded Persons Association and the Meritorious Persons Association — along with the May 18 Memorial Foundation issued a joint statement Wednesday calling on police to "conduct a swift and strict investigation in accordance with the law and principles, free from outside influence."

They added that authorities must "clearly identify the individuals involved in the incident and the decision-making process behind it," and that "whether the relevant actions violated the law must also be examined objectively."

The groups went on to say that police "have not disclosed the progress of their investigation into an incident that has damaged the historical significance of May 18 and the honor of its victims and meritorious persons." They urged that "the results of the investigation be made public in a transparent manner that the public can accept, and that strict measures be taken if any violations of the law are confirmed."

The controversy erupted after Starbucks Korea used the phrases "Tank Day" and "A thud on the desk!" to promote a tumbler discount event on May 18, with critics saying the slogans ridiculed the Gwangju Democratization Movement and the torture and death of democracy activist Park Jong-chul.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's wide-area investigation unit launched the raid 76 days after the case was assigned and the investigation began. The search lasted 10 hours and extended to the private residences of company executives, including former Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jeong-hyeon.


hope@heraldcorp.com