SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - Nearly three months after Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion ignited a national backlash, the controversy continues to haunt the coffee chain and its owner Shinsegae Group, as South Korean police on Wednesday raided the company's headquarters in an escalating criminal investigation.
The search, at the Centerfield building in Seoul's Gangnam District, is the first compulsory investigative step since the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crimes Investigation Unit took over the case 76 days ago.
Investigators from the unit began searching the headquarters Tuesday morning, seeking documents and digital evidence related to the planning and approval of the promotion.
The move follows police concluding that Shinsegae Group's internal probe had failed to determine whether the campaign intentionally insulted victims of the country's pro-democracy movement.
Police listed alleged insult charges in the warrant, accusing Starbucks Korea of mocking victims of the May 18 Democratization Movement through the campaign.
Investigators are also examining whether the phrase "Tak! on the desk" could constitute defamation of the family of the late student activist Park Jong-chul, whose 1987 torture death became a defining moment in South Korea's democracy movement.
The raid follows a review of materials Shinsegae Group submitted as part of its internal investigation. Police said they identified shortcomings in that audit and sought a new search warrant after an earlier request, filed June 8, was rejected by prosecutors.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office had returned that initial request, instructing police to pursue voluntary investigation first on the grounds that Shinsegae was cooperating.
In the interim, investigators questioned Yang Jong-hwan, head of Shinsegae Group's audit team, as a witness and concluded that the company's internal review had failed to fully examine the circumstances surrounding the campaign.
When Shinsegae disclosed the results of its internal investigation in May, the company said it had found no evidence that employees deliberately coordinated politically sensitive messaging. Executives also acknowledged significant limitations to the probe.
Three employees — including an executive — declined to provide their devices, with the company saying it had no legal authority to compel them.
Shinsegae nevertheless concluded at the time that it had found no evidence of intentional political messaging or advance collusion, while acknowledging that internal review systems had failed and that historical awareness had been sacrificed for speed and sales performance.
Police are now expected to use materials obtained in Tuesday's search to determine whether Starbucks executives intentionally planned or approved content mocking victims of the May 18 Democratization Movement — a key element in deciding whether criminal charges are warranted.
The controversy erupted on May 18 after Starbucks Korea launched a promotion for tumblers branded "Tank" under the slogan "Tank Day," accompanied by the phrase "Tak! on the desk."
Critics argued the campaign invoked two of South Korea's most painful chapters in modern history. The word "Tank," promoted on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, was seen as recalling the military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
The phrase "Tak! on the desk" echoed the notorious explanation authorities initially offered to conceal the 1987 torture death of Seoul National University student activist Park Jong-chul — a cover story later exposed as false that helped fuel the nationwide June Democracy Movement.
AJP Takeaway:
- Police searched Starbucks Korea's Seoul headquarters Tuesday, their first compulsory step since taking over the "Tank Day" case 76 days ago.
- The raid follows a rejected June 8 warrant bid and police concluding that Shinsegae Group's own internal audit — hampered by three staff refusing to hand over phones — fell short of resolving whether the campaign was intentional.
- At stake is whether Starbucks executives knowingly approved content referencing the 1980 Gwangju crackdown and the 1987 death of Park Jong-chul, which would determine if criminal charges follow.
- The case has already cost Starbucks Korea its CEO and drawn two public apologies from Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin amid consumer boycotts.
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