Civic group files complaint against Shinsegae chairman, ex-Starbucks Korea head

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- A civic group on Wednesday filed a complaint against Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and Son Jung-hyun, former head of Starbucks Korea, over alleged insult and defamation stemming from the coffee chain's controversial marketing campaign that revived painful memories of a bloody pro-democracy uprising.

In the complaint filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the People's Welfare Countermeasure Committee demanded punishment for Chung and Son, saying Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" coffee tumbler promotion launched on the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju uprising constitutes insult and defamation against the bereaved families of uprising victims and Gwangju citizens.

On May 18, 1980, the military cracked down on demonstrators, including students, protesting against then Army Lt. Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who staged a military coup the previous year and became president in August 1980. The harsh quelling of the uprising left more than 200 dead and 1,800 others wounded in the southwestern city, 330 kilometers south of Seoul.

The civic group said that the words "tank" and "tak!" used in the tumbler campaign respectively recalled military vehicles deployed during the crackdown on the uprising and the 1987 torture death of pro-democracy student activist Park Jong-chol.

"The inappropriate marketing caused public outrage and strict punishment must be imposed following a swift and thorough investigation," the group said.

In Gwangju, a group of five surviving uprising activists said they will file a complaint with police against Chung, Son and two Starbucks Korea officials later Wednesday on charges of insult and violating the special law on the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

They called for a thorough investigation for those responsible, including top management and marketing campaign planners, in a news conference, saying the democratization movement, a symbol of South Korean democracy, has been turned into a laughingstock by the commercial marketing campaigns of large corporations.

Chung issued an apology on Tuesday, saying the inappropriate marketing campaign should never have taken place and cannot be tolerated for trivializing the pain and sacrifices of all those who devoted themselves to democracy in this country. E-Mart, a key affiliate of Shinsegae Group, holds the controlling stake in Starbucks Korea.