* Starbucks Korea head Sohn Jeong-hyun fired for

'inappropriate marketing'

* Coffee chain ran 'Tank Day' promotion for its range of

tumblers

* Campaign coincided with commemoration of Gwangju

Uprising in May 1980

* Hundreds estimated to have been killed when military

cracked down on the protests

By Heejin Kim

SEOUL, May 19 (Reuters) - The head of Starbucks Korea

has been fired after a marketing campaign sparked public outrage

for evoking painful memories of a brutal military crackdown on

pro-democracy protesters in 1980.

Shinsegae Group, the retail conglomerate that licenses and

manages the U.S. coffee chain in South Korea, said it had sacked

Sohn Jeong-hyun, the head of Starbucks Korea, for carrying out

"inappropriate marketing."

Sohn's dismissal came hours after Starbucks ( SBUX ) launched its "Tank

Day" campaign on Monday promoting what it called its "Tank" line

of tumblers with the tagline "put it on the table with a sound

of 'Tak!'"

Monday also marked Democratisation Movement Day, which

commemorates the student-led Gwangju Uprising of May 1980, and

the campaign drew strong criticism in South Korea.

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. Many details

remain unconfirmed, including who gave the order to open fire on

the protesters. Chun finally stepped down in 1988 amid growing

calls for democracy.

Critics also questioned the use of the phrase "tak" for being

reminiscent of explanations by South Korean police in 1987 for

the death of a student protester, who was found to have been

tortured. At the time, police said the student died after

investigators struck a desk making a "tak" sound, according to

local media reports.

Reuters was unable to reach Sohn for comment and Starbucks

Korea declined to make him available for comment, saying he had

already left the company. The company has withdrawn the

campaign.

Writing on X on Monday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung

said he was "enraged" by Starbucks' ( SBUX ) campaign and demanded it

apologise to families of people killed during the uprising.

The campaign "tarnished the bloody protests of Gwangju

citizens and the victims of the protests," Lee said, calling it

the act of a "degenerate peddler."

Starbucks Korea posted a statement on its website apologising

for the promotion while Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin

also issued a public apology.

"I deeply bow in apology as the representative of the

group," Chung said. The marketing "deeply hurt the public, the

bereaved families, and the victims of the May 18 demonstration."