SEOUL, May 26 (Reuters) - Shares in South Korean

retailer Shinsegae fell on Tuesday after its

Chairman Chung Yong-jin made a public apology over a Starbucks

Korea marketing campaign that evoked a brutal 1980 military

crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The retail conglomerate, which operates the Korean unit of

Starbucks ( SBUX ), has faced public backlash over its "Tank Day"

campaign involving tumblers on May 18, as the country

commemorated the student-led Gwangju Uprising of ​May 1980.

"I take it very seriously that Starbucks Korea's

inappropriate marketing hurt and angered many people," Chung

said. "I will take all responsibility for the incident."

Shinsegae shares opened higher on Tuesday, but then fell

2.6% after Chung's comments.

Hundreds of people are estimated to have died ⁠or gone

missing when the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan deployed

troops and tanks to crack down on the protests.

Shinsegae fired the head of Starbucks Korea last week after

apologising over "inappropriate marketing." Starbucks Global has

also apologised and said an investigation had begun.

Following the criticism, South Korea's Interior Minister

said his ministry would stop offering products from companies

that "make light" of the country's democratic history.

Starbucks Korea is 67.5% owned by E-Mart and

32.5% by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, according to a

company filing.