Starbucks Korea payments rebound after three-week slump amid 'Tank Day' fallout

Weekly estimated credit and debit card spending at Starbucks Korea rebounded after two consecutive weeks of decline, suggesting the sales slump triggered by the "Tank Day" controversy may be easing.

According to Mobile Index, a data platform operated by AI data tech firm IGAWorks, estimated card payments at Starbucks totaled 24.21 billion won (about $15.9 million) during the first week of June — June 1–7.

That marked a 12.8 percent increase from the 21.46 billion won recorded the previous week and was the highest weekly figure since the "Tank Day" controversy erupted on May 18.

Weekly payments had fallen for two consecutive weeks — from 23.69 billion won in the May 18–24 period to 21.46 billion won in the May 25–31 period — before recovering in the first week of June.

The number of weekly app users also climbed, approaching 4 million.

The Starbucks app drew 3,985,819 weekly active users from June 1–7, up 138,614, or 3.6 percent, from 3,847,205 the previous week.

However, spending in the first week of June has not yet returned to pre-controversy levels.

The figure still trails the 32.16 billion won recorded in the May 11–17 period by roughly 7.95 billion won.

Industry observers note that while payment volumes and app usage have pulled back from their sharp late-May decline, it remains to be seen whether the recovery will hold, given that some consumers have yet to warm back up to the brand.

The controversy began when Starbucks Korea designated May 18 as "Tank Day" and used promotional language evoking the military dictatorship era, drawing accusations that it was mocking or trivializing the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. The backlash sparked a widespread boycott and ultimately led to the dismissal of the company's chief executive and a public apology from Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin.

Starbucks' Seattle headquarters also weighed in, calling the campaign "inappropriate marketing that should never have happened" and sending a formal letter of apology for the pain caused to victims, their families, and the history of Korea's pro-democracy movement.

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