Are Korean boycotts intense but temporary?

The Korea Times

Are Korean boycotts intense but temporary?

SEATTLE — Just over three weeks after Starbucks Korea sparked outrage with its "Tank Day" promotion that coincided with the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, the company is already showing signs of a comeback. Starbucks gift certificates have once again become the most popular item in the cafe category on KakaoTalk's gift service, part of Korea's dominant messaging app, after briefly losing the top position in the wake of the controversy. The development comes despite continuing fallout from the incident, which sparked calls for a boycott, public apologies and a management reshuffle at Starbucks Korea. Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin also publicly apologized and recently assumed direct leadership of E-mart, the affiliate that oversees Starbucks Korea. Despite the consequences, the episode revives a familiar question in Korea: Why do so many consumer boycotts appear to follow a similar pattern? The Starbucks controversy is only the latest example. The incident triggered one of the most visible consumer backlashes of the year. Customers shared photos of canceled Starbucks cards and refunde

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