South Korean police raid Starbucks Korea headquarters in latest twist over disastrous ad campaign

CNN:

The headquarters of Starbucks Korea was raided by South Korean police on Wednesday, as they continue to investigate the coffee chain that faced a nationwide backlash and publicity crisis over a disastrous ad campaign.

The Seoul metropolitan police confirmed to CNN they had searched the headquarters in relation to the upcoming Liberation Day next week, a public holiday marking South Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonization during WWII – but declined to share further details.

It’s the latest headache for Starbucks in South Korea after an ill-timed ad campaign several months ago sparked public anger, forcing it to apologize and fire an executive.

The crisis began in May, when Starbucks Korea – which is licensed to and managed largely by Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Group – launched a “Tank Day” marketing campaign to promote what it called its “Tank” line of tumblers.

But it was unveiled on the same day as Democratization Movement Day, which commemorates the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when more than 100 civilians were killed during pro-democracy demonstrations led by students during an era of military rule.