When Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin bowed before cameras in Seoul on May 26, 2026, it marked his second public apology in two weeks. The controversy stemmed from a Starbucks Korea promotion launched on May 18, the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, promoting a large tumbler branded as a “tank” while marketing the date itself […] The post Starbucks marketing blunder complicates South Korea’s elections appeared first on Asia Times .

South Korea’s Starbucks marketing controversy is no longer only about a badly judged campaign. It has become a test of whether democratic memory will restrain arbitrary power or reproduce it. Police are now investigating Shinsegae Group chairman Chung Yong-jin and former Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun after criminal complaints alleged insult, defamation, and violations related […] The post South Korean Starbucks probe: arbitrary power in justice’s name appeared first on Asia Times .