Police have launched a raid on the Starbucks headquarters, accused of insulting victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising through its 'Tank Day' promotion.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit sent about 40 investigators to the Starbucks Korea headquarters in the Centerfield building in Gangnam, Seoul, starting at 8:50 a.m. on August 5.
The search warrant reportedly cites allegations that Starbucks insulted victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, including martyr Park Jong-cheol, through its 'Tank Day' promotion.
The police obtained the search warrant after discovering signs of inadequate investigation in an internal audit submitted by Shinsegae Group. This marks the 76th day since the case was assigned to the Public Crime Investigation Unit.
Earlier, victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising and the Citizens' Livelihood Countermeasures Committee filed a complaint against Shinsegae Group Chairman Jeong Yong-jin and others in May, accusing them of violating the Special Act on the May 18 Democratic Uprising, as well as charges of insult and defamation.
The Special Act stipulates penalties for spreading false information about the May 18 Democratic Uprising. However, it has been reported that proving the insult charge is challenging due to the lack of specific targets in the Starbucks promotion.
As part of the investigation, police are examining whether the phrase 'bang on the desk' used in the promotion can be considered defamation against the family of martyr Park Jong-cheol.
On June 8, the Seoul police applied for a search warrant for Starbucks at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, but it was rejected four days later on June 12. The prosecution reportedly returned the warrant, suggesting that a voluntary investigation should be prioritized.
On June 17, during the investigation of Yang Jong-hwan, the head of the audit team at Shinsegae Group, police identified some signs of inadequate auditing.
Additionally, Shinsegae Group stated that during the announcement of the internal audit results, three of the five employees responsible for the 'Tank Day' promotion refused to submit their mobile phones, indicating limitations in the audit. It has been reported that one of the three was an executive, raising suspicions of inadequate auditing.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit sent about 40 investigators to the Starbucks Korea headquarters in the Centerfield building in Gangnam, Seoul, starting at 8:50 a.m. on August 5.
The search warrant reportedly cites allegations that Starbucks insulted victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, including martyr Park Jong-cheol, through its 'Tank Day' promotion.
The police obtained the search warrant after discovering signs of inadequate investigation in an internal audit submitted by Shinsegae Group. This marks the 76th day since the case was assigned to the Public Crime Investigation Unit.
Earlier, victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising and the Citizens' Livelihood Countermeasures Committee filed a complaint against Shinsegae Group Chairman Jeong Yong-jin and others in May, accusing them of violating the Special Act on the May 18 Democratic Uprising, as well as charges of insult and defamation.
The Special Act stipulates penalties for spreading false information about the May 18 Democratic Uprising. However, it has been reported that proving the insult charge is challenging due to the lack of specific targets in the Starbucks promotion.
As part of the investigation, police are examining whether the phrase 'bang on the desk' used in the promotion can be considered defamation against the family of martyr Park Jong-cheol.
On June 8, the Seoul police applied for a search warrant for Starbucks at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, but it was rejected four days later on June 12. The prosecution reportedly returned the warrant, suggesting that a voluntary investigation should be prioritized.
On June 17, during the investigation of Yang Jong-hwan, the head of the audit team at Shinsegae Group, police identified some signs of inadequate auditing.
Additionally, Shinsegae Group stated that during the announcement of the internal audit results, three of the five employees responsible for the 'Tank Day' promotion refused to submit their mobile phones, indicating limitations in the audit. It has been reported that one of the three was an executive, raising suspicions of inadequate auditing.
Police plan to focus on determining whether Starbucks officials intended to insult the victims of the May 18 Democratic Uprising when planning the promotion based on the materials secured during the raid.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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