Starbucks closes in South Korea to teach staff history

©AK via Unsplash

Remarkable coffee news is coming to us from South Korea.

Starbucks is closing all its branches in South Korea early to have staff take a mandatory course on history and social sensitivity. The remarkable measure comes after heavy criticism of an advertising campaign that many Koreans found offensive and led to a boycott of the chain.

The problems began with a “Tank Day” campaign, intended to promote a reusable coffee cup. However, many people saw the slogan as a painful reference to the 1980 Gwangju Massacre, when a pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed and tanks were deployed. Hundreds of civilians lost their lives in the incident. The campaign was particularly ill-received, especially since it coincided with the commemoration of that tragedy.

In the wake of the uproar, Starbucks Korea had to withdraw the campaign, issue an apology, and its local CEO had to step down. President Lee Jae Myung also sharply criticized the company. Sales took a hit, and consumers called for a boycott en masse.

Parent company Shinsegae is now requiring all employees in South Korea to take a training course on modern Korean history and the sensitivities surrounding issues such as gender, labor, human rights, and hate speech. The group’s chairman and other top executives must also take the course. According to the company, these lessons are intended to help restore trust and prevent future mistakes in marketing and campaign approval.

The stores will close at 3:00 p.m. on June 22 for the group training. Only a few branches at airports will remain open. The incident illustrates how sensitive historical memories are in South Korea, and how quickly a poorly thought-out campaign can escalate into a national scandal. South Korea is one of the international company’s largest markets, after the United States and China.

©AK via Unsplash - illustrative image of a Starbucks branch