Far-right YouTuber, conservative parties toast Starbucks coffee amid boycott

Amidst a growing boycott of Starbucks Korea over a controversial marketing campaign, far-right YouTuber Jeon Han-kil hosted a live broadcast featuring coffee from the chain, joined by leaders of three conservative, extra-parliamentary parties. Jeon promoted Starbucks coffee as "the taste of freedom" and advocated against a widespread boycott, labeling such actions as attempts to "kill specific companies."

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Let's have a toast.

During the broadcast, Jeon and the party leaders, whose parties all include "Freedom" in their names, raised their Starbucks cups in a toast. Jeon specifically responded to a guest's remark about "the taste of capitalism, the taste of freedom," by proposing a toast, which they repeated with the toast "Freedom is the best."

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The taste of capitalism, the taste of freedom.

Jeon reiterated his stance from a previous broadcast, where he praised Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, the parent company of Starbucks Korea, as a "symbolic entrepreneur of the conservative right." He argued that the boycott movement was excessive, even after Chung Yong-jin issued a public apology. While acknowledging that the "5.18 Tank Day" marketing campaign could have offended some people, Jeon criticized the government, the ruling party, and government officials for actively trying to "kill a specific company."

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Let's toast with 'Freedom is the best'.

He urged viewers to patronize Starbucks even more to counter what he described as "the extremely wicked national control and corporate surveillance of the Lee Jae-myung administration." The controversy stems from Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion, which included imagery and text referencing May 18th, the date of the Gwangju Uprising, leading to accusations of disrespecting victims of the historical event and former President Roh Tae-woo's military crackdown. Despite Starbucks Korea's dismissal of its CEO and Chung Yong-jin's apology, the backlash has continued, with government ministries announcing measures to halt the use of Starbucks products in official capacities.

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The taste of freedom, yes, good.