The chain was criticised for a "Tank Day" marketing ploy on the anniversary of a military massacre.
20 hours ago
George Wright
AFP via Getty Images
Starbucks in South Korea will shut all its shops for half a day next week so staff can attend a history lesson following public outrage over a promotional campaign that evoked a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
The coffee chain faced widespread criticism after it launched a "Tank Day" reusable cup promotion on the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, in which at least 165 civilians were killed by the military. Many believe the real figure to be much higher.
Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks under a licensing agreement in South Korea, fired the country's chief executive on the day of the scandal.
Chairman Chung Yong-jin will also take the training, the company announced.
Outlets will close across the country at 15:00 local time (06:00 GMT) for three hours next Monday to accomodate the staff training and will not reopen until the following day.
During the training session all employees at Starbucks Korea stores will "receive education in historical awareness and social sensitivity through watching videos", it added.
It will be the first nationwide early closure of Starbucks Korea since the chain opened in the country in 1999.
The "Tank Day" promotion was for the chain's Tank Series drink tumblers, touted as having "spacious volume" for a large amount of coffee.
Starbucks Korea initially clarified that the Tank Series was one of several series of tumblers it was rolling out in a campaign running from 15 to 26 May.
The company apologised "for causing inconvenience and concern to our customers due to this".
South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung expressed outrage over "this inhumane and disgraceful conduct" on social media during the backlash last month.
Protests were held outside shops and the chain reportedly suffered a significant drop in sales following calls to boycott.
Getty Images
Along with widespread killings, further investigations into the 1980 Gwangju Uprising massacre later confirmed that troops deployed by the military regime of Chun Doo-hwan committed rape and sexual assault.
The uprising set South Korea on its path toward democracy. It became a rallying cry for activists over the following seven years, culminating in a movement in June 1987 that toppled Chun's regime.
Some in South Korea claim the Starbucks campaign also referenced the 1987 movement.
Promotional material for the tumbler included the phrase "tak on the table!" in Korean, using a word that sounds like an object being slapped on a table.
"Tak" was also the word used in a controversial statement given by police in 1987 about the death of a student activist in custody.
Marketers chose the slogan after using an AI tool to help with suggestions, Shinsegae Group said.
Chun's rule ended in 1988. He was convicted of treason and corruption in 1996 but was later released from prison after a presidential pardon. He died in 2021 aged 90.
In 2018, the government apologised for the rape of women by troops in Gwangju.
Chun Woo-won called his grandfather a "sinner and slaughterer" and said he was "sincerely sorry for not apologising any sooner".
To win the global war of words over Tibet, China’s western autonomous region that repeatedly makes international headlines, Beijing must stop fighting the West’s algorithms and start adapting to them. That was the blunt assessment of Zachary Lundquist, an American media professional with the state-r
The pain from their injuries hasn’t gone away. Meanwhile, they face challenges in earning a livelihood.
The investigation on alleged cartel pricing of ice cream comes as Japan faces record summer temperatures.
We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. PLA scientists propose a plan to destroy US carrier groups from 3,000km away As the United States quietly pulls