South Korean police conducted a search at the headquarters of Starbucks Korea. This was part of an investigation into a marketing campaign perceived as defamatory towards the pro-democracy movements of the 1980s.

Investigators entered the Starbucks headquarters in southern Seoul on Tuesday, according to the police report on Wednesday. No further details were provided by the police. However, local media mentioned that investigators also visited the homes of Starbucks executives.

This controversy arose when Starbucks attempted to promote a series of stainless steel thermal mugs dubbed ‘SS Tank,’ declaring May 18 as ‘Tank Day.’ This date commemorates the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the military-backed rulers at that time.

The campaign also featured the slogan ‘Hit it on the table!’ Many saw this as referencing a notorious 1987 police statement that sought to cover up the torture-induced death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Authorities falsely claimed that Park died after investigators ‘hit the desk with a dry hit.’

Widespread public outrage prompted Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, to cancel the marketing campaign within hours. It also led to the firing of Starbucks Korea’s CEO. Shinsegae’s president, Chung Yong-jin, issued a televised apology. Starbucks Korea closed its stores early on June 22 for mandatory training on history and social sensitivity.

The police investigation began following complaints from relatives of victims of the Gwangju crackdown. Official records state around 200 deaths resulted from the suppression. In 1987, South Korea established an authentic democracy when then-authoritarian President Chun Doo-hwan, who led the Gwangju crackdown, agreed to a constitutional amendment. This change enabled direct presidential elections in response to mass pro-democracy demonstrations.