A woman and a man holding a Starbucks coffee walk from an outlet of the coffee chain in Seoul on Oct. 11, 2026. Starbucks Coffee Korea's sales topped 120 billion won (US$89 million) in September, returning the company to the top spot after ranking second behind Twosome Place for four consecutive months through August. The rebound came five months after the company's controversial online "Tank Day" promotion on May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. The campaign drew backlash because the term "tank" evoked the military's violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrators in Gwangju. (Yonhap)
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