Starbucks Korea Initiates Company-Wide Store Closure for Historical Awareness Training
Starbucks Korea has announced a significant operational halt, closing all its nationwide stores at 3 PM today. This unprecedented move is a direct response to a recent controversy surrounding marketing materials and aims to provide all employees with essential education on Korean history and social sensitivity.
Industry sources confirm that this is the first time since the opening of its inaugural store in South Korea in 1999 that Starbucks Korea has simultaneously ceased operations at all its locations. The company operates approximately 2,160 stores across the country.
This initiative is being interpreted as more than just a standard employee training session. It signals a comprehensive review of the brand’s ethical standards and marketing verification processes across all operations.
Employee Notification and Training Details
Leading up to today’s closure, individual stores began posting notices informing customers of the temporary operational change starting last week. These notices expressed regret for any inconvenience caused by the reduced operating hours and pledged efforts to enhance the customer experience.
Following the store closures, Starbucks partners nationwide will participate in mandatory training sessions. These sessions will involve watching pre-prepared educational videos via monitors provided by headquarters. Employees unable to attend the live training due to leave or other reasons will be required to complete the video training online at a later date.
The educational program is expected to last for approximately three hours. The instructional videos are recordings of lectures previously delivered to Starbucks Korea headquarters staff and executives from Imart’s department, which is a subsidiary of Starbucks Korea’s parent company, Shinsegae Group. The lectures were conducted on July 17th.
The lectures were led by Professor Oh Sung-gyun from Sungkyunkwan University’s Department of History and Professor Gu Jeong-woo from Sungkyunkwan University’s Department of Sociology. Professor Oh’s session focused on ‘Correct Historical Awareness for Corporations,’ while Professor Gu addressed ‘Social Sensitivity and Ethical Standards.’
A representative from Starbucks Korea stated, “The sessions will be conducted as ‘Brand Value Workshops,’ fostering communication not only on historical awareness and social sensitivity but also on the values and mission Starbucks upholds. Through this training, we aim to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents like the recent ‘Tank Day’ controversy.”
Parent Company’s Response
This action by Starbucks Korea is also being mirrored by its parent company, Shinsegae Group. Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, is scheduled to view the same educational video along with representatives from its affiliate companies prior to a planned executive meeting on July 24th.
The controversy that prompted these measures arose last month during a tumbler promotion event. Starbucks Korea faced criticism for using marketing phrases such as ‘Tank Day’ and ‘Knock on the Desk!’ The phrases were deemed insensitive as they evoked associations with the May 18th Gwangju Democratization Movement of 1980 and the death of student activist Park Jong-chul in 1987 following torture.
Following the public outcry, Starbucks Korea acknowledged the inappropriateness of the phrases and issued an apology. The company subsequently pledged to implement remedial measures, including comprehensive employee training and a review of its marketing verification systems, to prevent future occurrences.
