Police raid Starbucks Korea headquarters over 'Tank Day' fiasco - BBC News

People have filed complaints against Starbucks for allegedly making light of the deadly Gwangju Uprising.

Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption, The "Tank Day" promotion sparked a boycott movement against Starbucks in South Korea

South Korean police have raided the national headquarters of Starbucks over defamation claims surrounding a controversial marketing campaign.

Starbucks Korea had in May launched a coffee tumbler promotion called "Tank Day" on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, where hundreds were believed to have been killed by military forces.

Many felt the "tank" was a reference to vehicles deployed to crush pro-democracy protesters and the promotion sparked a mass boycott movement.

Starbucks quickly rolled it back, saying it was unintentional but civic groups filed a criminal complaint against the company, demanding the police investigate it for defaming victims of the military dictatorship.