CRAVITY’s Wonjin Starbucks Comment Draws Attention Amid Boycott Over 5·18 Promotion

CRAVITY member Wonjin drew attention after commenting on Starbucks during a June 30 fan communication broadcast, placing the phrase “Wonjin Starbucks Boycott” into wider discussion around an ongoing consumer backlash in South Korea. Sports Kyunghyang reported that Wonjin responded to a fan’s Starbucks matcha drink recommendation on Bubble Live by saying, “I don’t really drink that brand anymore,” a remark that spread on social media amid continued scrutiny of Starbucks Korea’s May 18 promotion controversy.¹

The comment did not come in isolation. It followed a series of reports about Starbucks Korea’s use of phrases including “Tank Day” and “Tak on the desk” during a tumbler promotion on May 18, the anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, and subsequent apologies, complaints, internal review claims, and a boycott declaration by civic groups.²³

Wonjin Starbucks Comment Spreads After Bubble Live

The focus of the latest attention is narrow: Wonjin, a member of CRAVITY, was reportedly speaking with fans through Bubble Live on June 30 when a fan recommended a Starbucks matcha drink. His response, translated from Korean, was: “I don’t really drink that brand anymore.”¹

Sports Kyunghyang framed the comment as notable because it surfaced while criticism of Starbucks Korea remained active following the company’s 5·18-related promotion controversy. The report did not state that Wonjin announced a formal boycott campaign, nor did it cite any separate official statement from the artist or his agency on the matter. Based on the available source material, the confirmed fact is that his brief brand-related remark circulated online in the context of the broader Starbucks boycott atmosphere.¹

The public reaction attached to the phrase “Wonjin Starbucks Boycott” therefore centers on interpretation of a short fan-platform remark rather than a detailed public campaign statement from the singer. The distinction matters because the source-backed record supports a reported comment, not a separately documented activist declaration by Wonjin.

Starbucks Korea’s 5·18 Promotion Controversy

The Starbucks controversy began on May 18, when MBC reported that Starbucks Korea used promotional wording including “Tank Day” and “Tak on the desk” for a tumbler discount event on the anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. MBC reported that Starbucks revised the wording and later deleted the event notice, then issued an apology under the name of its chief executive and announced measures including employee education to prevent recurrence.³

Yonhap News later reported that Starbucks’ global headquarters also apologized over the incident. A Starbucks global headquarters spokesperson described the matter as something that “should never have happened,” while the report said Starbucks Korea had proceeded with the tumbler promotion on the May 18 anniversary and that responsible parties and an investigation were being addressed after the controversy.²

The controversy also reached legal and civic arenas. Hankyoreh reported on May 20 that the civic group Seomin Livelihood Countermeasures Committee filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and former Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun on allegations including insult and defamation. The group argued that the phrases used on the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising evoked both May 18 and the Park Jong-chul torture-death case.⁴

On May 26, MBC reported that Shinsegae released findings from a group-level internal fact-finding review along with an apology from Chung Yong-jin. According to that report, Shinsegae said “Tank” was the name of the tumbler product and that the May 18 event schedule was coincidental, while also concluding that the approval line failed to recognize the wording’s inappropriateness.⁵

Key Dates in the Starbucks Boycott Timeline

Date	Reported development	Source-backed detail
May 18, 2026	Promotion controversy emerged	Starbucks Korea was criticized for wording including “Tank Day” and “Tak on the desk” during a tumbler discount event on the May 18 anniversary.³
May 20, 2026	Global apology and legal complaint reported	Yonhap reported a Starbucks global headquarters apology, while Hankyoreh reported a civic complaint against Chung Yong-jin and Son Jung-hyun.²⁴
May 26, 2026	Shinsegae internal review reported	MBC reported Shinsegae’s explanation that the product name and date were coincidental, while acknowledging approval failures.⁵
May 27, 2026	Boycott declaration reported	Yonhap reported that May 18 groups and civic organizations declared a nationwide Starbucks boycott outside the Starbucks Gwanghwamun branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul.⁶
June 30, 2026	Wonjin remark reported	Sports Kyunghyang reported that Wonjin’s Bubble Live comment about no longer drinking “that brand” spread on social media.¹

Yonhap reported on May 27 that May 18 organizations and civic groups declared a nationwide Starbucks boycott in front of the Starbucks Gwanghwamun branch in Seoul. The report said 146 groups, including the Korean People’s Action, criticized Chung Yong-jin’s apology and signaled consumer actions such as gift-card refunds and app withdrawals.⁶

A quoted representative, Lee Nam, Seoul branch head of the May 18 Democratic Uprising Injured Persons Association, said the groups were “entering a full-scale Starbucks boycott,” according to Yonhap’s report on the press conference.⁶

This timeline explains why Wonjin’s short remark was amplified beyond a routine fan-platform exchange. By June 30, the Starbucks issue had already moved through apology statements, civic criticism, legal complaints, an internal review claim, and an organized boycott announcement.

CRAVITY Wonjin Starbucks boycott 5·18 Promotion trend

The available record shows that Wonjin’s Starbucks comment became news because it intersected with an existing public boycott climate, not because the source material confirms a formal campaign launched by the CRAVITY member. As of the provided reports dated through June 30, the confirmed facts are his Bubble Live remark, the earlier Starbucks Korea 5·18 promotion controversy, and the civic boycott actions that followed.