Aftermath of the ‘Tank Day’ Controversy? Local Governments' Starbucks Gift Card Purchases Drop by More Than Half

Last year's monthly average purchase amount was in the 50 million won range → This year's first half is in the 20 million won range
A Starbucks store in downtown Seoul is dark after Starbucks Korea announced it would close all stores early to conduct history awareness and social sensitivity training for employees on May 22. (Yonhap News) Following the ‘Tank Day’ controversy, Starbucks gift card purchases by local governments nationwide have significantly decreased by more than half.
According to gift card purchase data received from local governments nationwide by Rep. Park Jeong-hyun of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, on the 14th, local governments have spent approximately 1.34 billion won on Starbucks gift cards over the past three years.
Rep. Park's office explained that if amounts with unspecified purchase periods are included, the total exceeds 1.7 billion won.
Starbucks gift card purchases have dropped sharply following the so-called ‘Tank Day’ controversy.
The Starbucks gift card purchase performance of local governments nationwide over the past three years was recorded at approximately 520 million won in 2024, 680 million won in 2025, and 130 million won as of the first half of this year.
The average monthly purchase amount plummeted from approximately 43 million won in 2024 and 56 million won in 2025 to 21 million won in 2026.
Rep. Park's office analyzed that the ‘Tank Day’ promotion conducted by Starbucks Korea last May escalated into a controversy regarding the disparagement of the May 18 Democratization Movement, leading to a boycott, which also influenced the trend among local governments nationwide.
Rep. Park's office pointed out that local government budgets for goods procurement should be prioritized for local commercial districts and small business owners.
Rep. Park Jeong-hyun stated, “It is inconsistent for local governments, which have been encouraging the use of local currency to revitalize regional economies, to spend their budgets on gift cards from large corporations rather than on small business owners. I will examine the gift card purchase status of each local government alongside the budget execution status of local currencies.”