이해아
| 2026-05-23 21:57:29
Lee-Starbucks
Lee slams Starbucks over 2024 promo evoking Sewol ferry sinking
SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung slammed Starbucks Korea on Saturday over 2024 promotional material that allegedly evoked the tragedy of a ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people a decade earlier.
The allegation was raised only days after the coffee chain came under fire for launching a "Tank Day" event on the anniversary of the May 18, 1980, pro-democracy movement in Gwangju that was violently suppressed by the military.
Sharing a post by Rep. Chung Chin-ook of the ruling Democratic Party, the president expressed outrage at the "Siren" mug series, saying he hopes it is not true.
According to an image of the promotional material dated April 16, the anniversary of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking that killed 304 people -- mostly students -- Starbucks introduced a new line of mugs called the "Siren Classic Mug Collection."
Siren, a mermaid that appears in Greek and Roman mythology, has been used as Starbucks' logo since its foundation in 1971.
Chung, the lawmaker, accused the company of drawing inspiration from a mythological mermaid that wrecked ships by singing on the anniversary of the Sewol tragedy.
"When the bereaved families were writhing in pain and the nation was deep in grief, they likely enjoyed themselves by insulting the victims and mocking the people by launching a code-like event that hid mockery," Lee wrote, adding that the series of events makes it difficult to believe the Tank Day promo was accidental.
"There will be people's judgment for this kind of barbaric behavior that habitually looks down on the victims of state violence and disaster," he wrote.
The president had also condemned the Tank Day event by calling out the "inhumane behavior of profiteers who deny the values of the Republic of Korea, fundamental human rights and democracy."
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