South Korea netizens slam K-pop star for drinking Starbucks coffee: ‘ignoring genocide’

Some commenters said the episode could haunt Le Sserafim’s Huh Yun-jin for the rest of her career and urged her to apologise and take accountability for endorsing the brand
Huh is the latest South Korean celebrity to face the ire of fans over endorsing alleged pro-Israel products

South Korea

SCMP’s Asia desk

Published: 3:43pm, 15 Mar 2024

Why you can trust SCMP

K-pop singer Huh Yun-jin of girl group Le Sserafim has been caught in the eye of a pro-Israel storm as fans unleashed a social media barrage against her for drinking a Starbucks coffee, saying she should “educate” herself and boycott the American chain in South Korea over its perceived links to the mainly Jewish state.

Fans flooded Huh’s Instagram page with critical comments after a photo of her sipping the brew was widely shared online, accusing her of “ignoring the genocide” in Gaza.

“Please educate yourself, this is disappointing,” a pro-Palestinian supporter said.

Some said the episode could haunt her for the rest of her career and urged Huh to apologise and take accountability for endorsing the brand.

“I’m gonna ‘change the industry’ by drinking Starbucks and doing nothing,” a fan commented, referring to a statement Huh made during her debut in 2022.

K-pop group Le Sserafim performs during a K-pop concert at Jamsil stadium in Seoul in 2022. The band will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the US next month. Photo: AFP

Responding to the saga, Starbucks on March 18 said none of its profits were used to fund any country’s government or military.

“Our position remains unchanged. Starbucks stands for humanity. We condemn violence, the loss of innocent life and all hate and weaponised speech,” it said in a statement.

“We have no political agenda and do not use our profits to fund any government or military operations anywhere – and never have.”

Malaysians mock Starbucks franchisee’s calls to end boycott over Israel-Gaza war

The war began with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that resulted in about 1,160 Israeli deaths.

Israel has carried out a relentless military campaign in the blockaded Palestinian enclave in retaliation, killing at least 31,341 people, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Huh’s fans also called on others to stop streaming Le Sserafim and shun its albums.

“She’s a hypocrite, can’t believe I fought for her before,” a user wrote.

K-pop girl group Le Sserafim. Photo: Handout/Source Music

Le Sserafim, which debuted in 2022 with its EP Fearless, will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the US next month.

Some fans defended Huh, saying targeting her over a coffee was unfair.

“She can drink whatever she wants, it shouldn’t matter. You guys can boycott everything you want and also respect the opinion of others,” a commenter said.

Another wrote: “You need to stop hating her. Starbucks in Korea doesn’t even support Israel.”

Starbucks Korea is run by local conglomerate Shinsegae Group.

‘Brands that fatten them up’: Israeli dates under Muslim boycott in Southeast Asia

Huh is the latest South Korean celebrity to face the ire of fans over endorsing alleged pro-Israel products.

Boy band Enhypen’s Jake was forced to apologise after he came under fire for consuming a Starbucks drink during a livestream in January.

Last year, K-pop solo artist Jeon Somi was also panned for displaying a cup with a Starbucks logo in her TikTok video.

Some fans of K-pop juggernaut BTS sent a truck to the headquarters of the band’s management company in Seoul last month to demand the agency fire the CEO of its American unit for reportedly backing Israel’s war in Gaza.