Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister: "Scholarship Program for Descendants of Independence Patriots with Starbucks to Be Reviewed"

Reviewing Continuation of Ministry-Starbucks Partnership Programs
Follow-up Measures to Be Considered in Light of Public Sentiment

Amid ongoing controversy over Starbucks' "5·18 Tank Day" marketing campaign, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has decided to fully review its scholarship program for descendants of national patriots, which is currently being conducted in partnership with Starbucks Korea.

At a press corps policy meeting held at the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 29th, Kwon Oh-eul, Minister of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, responded to a related question by stating, "We will re-examine the issue of scholarship disbursement."

The scholarship program for descendants of independence patriots selects 50 university students from financially disadvantaged families of independence patriots who excel in both academic performance and school life, and provides each of them with a scholarship of 2 million won. Last June, the Ministry entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Starbucks Korea and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare to implement this program. Starbucks pledged to provide annual support of 100 million won.

Kwon Oeul, Minister of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, is speaking at the policy briefing session with the press corps of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs held at the Defense Convention Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Although 50 students were selected as scholarship recipients last year, the program has not yet been implemented this year. The Ministry has announced a policy of comprehensively considering recent social controversy and public sentiment in determining whether to continue the program. The Ministry has also decided to refrain, for the time being, from using Starbucks coffee coupons at ministry events, a practice previously in place.

Regarding Starbucks' "Tank Day" marketing, Minister Kwon stated, "This was not the action of an individual but a company-level marketing decision," and explained, "It is clearly deserving of criticism for exploiting an event associated with national suffering." He added, "This incident prompted a review of various agreements between the Ministry and Starbucks, and we have determined that it is appropriate to suspend related programs until a national consensus is reached."

The controversy began with Starbucks' "Tank Day" promotion held on the anniversary of the 5·18 Democratization Movement. Some consumers criticized the campaign, saying that the expression trivialized and mocked the historical pain of the 5·18 Democratization Movement and insulted or disparaged victims and related individuals. As a result, a boycott movement rapidly spread online and through social networking services (SNS).

In response, Jeong Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, the parent company, held a press conference on the 26th to issue an apology, but the controversy has not subsided. A total of 146 civic organizations, including 5·18-related groups, have launched a nationwide boycott, and there have been ongoing criminal complaints against the management.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.