Ruling party slams president's SNS criticism of Starbucks as 'state violence'

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Rival political parties in South Korea engaged in a fierce debate Thursday over President Lee Jae-myung's criticism of Starbucks' marketing campaigns, which were seen as insensitive to the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising and the 10th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster.

Conservative opposition parties, including the People Power Party (PPP), pushed back, arguing that the president's criticism of a specific company was excessive incitement and constituted "state violence." The main opposition Democratic Party countered that President Lee was merely representing public anger.

Jang Dong-hyuk, standing election committee chairman of the PPP, wrote on Facebook that President Lee had "lost his reason" and was acting "without proper investigation." He claimed the event was not a special promotion but a "normal product announcement" for the new 'Siren Classic' product, explaining that 'Siren' is Starbucks' symbol and a common name for all products featuring the Starbucks logo.

"If that's the case, we shouldn't even use 'Siren Order' on April 16," Jang argued, adding that the president was trying to "incite his supporters and flip the situation" by seizing on this issue.

Oh Se-hoon, a candidate for Seoul Mayor, also posted on Facebook, "I heard that candidate Jeong Won-o has also banned Starbucks from his campaign office. A very swift and accurate alignment with the President's code." He added, "Wouldn't it be better to stop now?"

Five-term lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon wrote on Facebook that it was "no exaggeration to say that President Lee's SNS is becoming a massive 'state violence.'" He likened it to "seeing a North Korean dictatorship's people's tribunal in 21st-century South Korea."

Lee Jun-seok, general election committee chairman of the New Reform Party, criticized on Facebook that the president's daily reflection and scolding should be directed not at Starbucks, Netanyahu, or online communities like Ilbe, but "at President Lee Jae-myung himself in the mirror."

In response, Kang Jun-hyun, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, told reporters at the National Assembly that the PPP had "suddenly attacked the Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling party" over the Starbucks controversy that had been debated for the past week.

He criticized Jang Dong-hyuk for treating the emphasis on the spirit of the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising as an act of "coercing the public and forcing political will."

Kang stated that the government and ruling party had "not coerced anger or boycotts." He accused the PPP of "exploiting normal common sense, which seeks to correct a wrong view of history, as a tool for political disputes and election campaigns," calling it "not a normal way of thinking."

He defended President Lee's message, saying, "The president, like the public, is indignant about the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising and the Sewol ferry disaster." He added, "It is only natural for the president to send a message representing the people."

Park Ji-hye, a spokesperson, issued a written briefing criticizing Jang Dong-hyuk for engaging in "excessive slander and distorted incitement" by calling the legitimate criticism of Starbucks' pro-democracy movement-disparaging marketing "state violence led by the president."

Park urged the PPP to "clearly state their position on the real state violence shown by the Dec. 3 rebellion" before criticizing President Lee, arguing that "turning the public's legitimate anger to correct historical distortion into violence is the real violence."