SHINee Minho‘s latest Instagram post has drawn criticism amidst a global boycott.
The group recently performed SHINee WORLD VI [PERFECT ILLUMINATION] JAPAN FINAL LIVE in TOKYO DOME.
The members got to enjoy free time, sightseeing in the city. So, Minho updated Instagram with nine photos of himself at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Yet, it’s the first slide that garnered attention. Minho was pictured drinking from a Starbucks cup.
Minho’s comment section was filled with fans expressing their disappointment regarding the post, informing him of the global boycott of Starbucks.
They advised him not to post anything promoting the brand. Fans also encouraged him to stop drinking Starbucks and purchase drinks from any other of the many coffee shops.
Since October, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reportedly surpassed 30,000. The surviving Palestinians in Gaza are struggling to survive as over 70,000 are injured, starving, displaced, and lost homes, family, and friends. The Palestinian health ministry reported that as of today, hundreds were killed or wounded while collecting food aid as Israeli forces opened fire.
Around 1 in every 25 Palestinians in Gaza are now injured or dead, Islamic Relief says as Israel’s bombardment continues unabated.
— ReliefWeb
People are attempting to make a difference by joining global boycotts. BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) is an entity that has helped identify brands that should be targeted in boycotts for many years. As the world has become more aware of the humanitarian issue in Palestine, the Palestinian BDS National Committee shared a list of brands to boycott, placing them in categories. Popular fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, are organic targets, although the latter was not on BDS’s boycott list.
The BDS movement did not initiate these grassroots boycott campaigns but is in support of them due to these brands openly supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.
— BDS on organic boycott targets
In October, the worker-led union of popular American coffee chain Starbucks, representing at least 9,000 employees, shared a post via X (formerly Twitter). In the statement, Starbucks Workers United stood in solidarity with Palestine.
As of June 2023, over 8,000 workers at over 360 Starbucks stores in at least 40 states in the United States have voted to unionize, primarily with Workers United. As of March 2023 none have yet enacted a collective bargaining agreement.
— Wikipedia
Shortly after, Starbucks released its own statements, which denounced the union. Starbucks did not want to be associated with the union’s stance.
Starbucks wanted to stop the union from using its name and logo, saying the company had no official stance on the war and the union’s post might confuse customers. But many boycotters, like Blake, thought Starbucks should offer more support to the people of Gaza.
— AP News
Starbucks then sued its employees on October 18 for trademark infringement. The company claimed the social media post angered its customers and had the potential to damage the company’s reputation. Starbucks’ actions only disappointed customers.
Since then, Starbucks has been boycotted worldwide as customers thought it was unethical of Starbucks to sue its employees over taking a stance on the humanitarian issue. Consequently, Starbucks lost $12 billion USD in market value, with some locations even closing and filing bankruptcy in many countries.
However, some netizens have noted that some international Starbucks stores are independent. For example, Starbucks Coffee Korea’s current CEO, Son Jung Hyun, is of the global retail tech company Shinsegae I&C. Starbucks reportedly has no shares in Starbucks Coffee Korea, but the franchise does pay 5% royalties for using the brand’s name and logo. Additionally, as of yesterday, Workers United and Starbucks began discussions to build “a productive relationship in the best interests of Starbucks partners.”
We have agreed with Workers United that we will begin discussions on a foundational framework designed to achieve collective bargaining agreements, including a fair process for organizing, and the resolution of some outstanding litigation.
— Starbucks
Still, K-Pop fans have continued to call out their favorite idols for their intentional and unintentional promotion of boycotted brands. Likewise, fellow SHINee member Key has officially been advertising for McDonald’s recently, disappointing many fans. Read more below.
