The Claim

Social media users in South Korea circulated a viral video on X[1] and other platforms[2] claiming it showed a woman causing chaos inside a Starbucks store in Gwangju following public outrage over Starbucks Korea’s controversial “Tank Day” campaign.

The clip shows a woman throwing paper cups, sweeping items off a cashier counter, and creating a disturbance inside a Starbucks outlet while employees look on.[3]

Posts accompanying the footage suggested the incident was linked to protests surrounding Starbucks Korea’s marketing controversy connected to the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising.[4]

Some users further weaponized the clip to spread political narratives mocking the Gwangju movement and its victims.

What CyberPoe Verified

Verification confirms the claim is false.

The video was not filmed in South Korea and has no connection to the Starbucks Korea controversy or the city of Gwangju.

The footage has circulated online since at least May 2024 and actually shows an unrelated incident at a Starbucks store in Shenzhen, China.

Background Behind the Controversy

The misinformation emerged after Starbucks Korea faced nationwide criticism over a May 18 promotional campaign called “Tank Day.”[5]

The campaign marketed limited-edition “Tank tumblers,” but the wording triggered backlash because May 18 marks the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising one of South Korea’s most traumatic democratic struggles.

During the uprising, military forces violently suppressed civilians protesting authoritarian rule, leaving hundreds dead, injured, or missing.

Critics accused Starbucks Korea of insensitivity for using language associated with military vehicles on such a significant historical date. The controversy eventually led to the dismissal of Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun.

Old Video From China

A reverse image search traced the viral footage back to social media posts and reports published in China during 2024.[6]

Chinese video platform Baidu Haokan published the clip on May 13, 2024, identifying the incident as occurring at a Starbucks branch in Shenzhen on May 11, 2024.[7]

According to eyewitness accounts cited in the report, the woman became angry after employees refused to allow her to take a store cup away from the café. The confrontation escalated into a public outburst before police arrived and escorted her away.

The original Chinese report included additional footage showing police intervention scenes absent from the misleading Korean posts.

Location Verification Matches Shenzhen

Visual elements from the video match publicly available customer photos of a Starbucks store located inside a large shopping complex in Shenzhen.

Interior details, counter arrangements, and store layout visible in the clip correspond with images uploaded to Chinese food and review platforms.

No evidence places the incident in Gwangju or anywhere else in South Korea.

How the Video Was Politicized

The clip resurfaced amid intense political polarization surrounding the Gwangju anniversary and the Starbucks Korea controversy.

Far-right users online repurposed the unrelated footage to amplify narratives portraying Gwangju protesters and democracy activists as violent or disorderly.

Some posts repeated debunked conspiracy theories falsely claiming the 1980 uprising was a communist-backed riot rather than a democratic movement against military dictatorship.

CyberPoe Verdict ❌

False Context.

The viral Starbucks disturbance video was not filmed in South Korea and is unrelated to the backlash over Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” campaign.

The footage actually shows an incident at a Starbucks store in Shenzhen, China, recorded in May 2024.

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