r/byebyejob

Starbucks Korea's chief executive has been sacked over a campaign perceived as referring to a bloody historical incident.

Launched on Monday, the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising crackdown, the "Tank Day" coffee tumbler promotion sparked calls to boycott Starbucks Korea and prompted a harsh rebuke from President Lee Jae Myung.

Many felt the "tank" motif referenced vehicles deployed by the military government in May 1980 to crush pro-democracy protesters.

Starbucks Korea rolled back the promotion hours after it launched. Shinsegae, the conglomerate that owns the majority stake in the coffee chain, apologised for "inappropriate marketing" and fired the chain's chief executive Sohn Jeong-hyun.

The promotion, which used the English words "Tank Day", was for their Tank Series drink tumblers touted to have "spacious volume" for a large amount of coffee.

A Chilean executive from Landes can be seen addressing another passenger in a homophobic manner, saying, “for me, being gay is a problem; for you, it’s a problem.”

Seconds later, the individual also uses racist language against the same passenger: “Black skin,” while making gestures of disgust with his hands and face, adding: “The smell of Black people, of Brazilians.”You are a monkey” and “monkeys belong in trees,” he later says.

According to Chilean media outlets, the executive immediately lost his job at Landes, and the company publicly stated its position against discrimination, emphasizing that there is no place for this type of behavior within the organization.