Starbucks Korea will close stores early next week so employees can take a history course, after a marketing misstep sparked public outrage, the American coffee chain’s South Korean operator said.
The move comes after Starbucks Korea faced fierce criticism last month for using the phrases 'Tank Day' and '5/18' to promote a line of tumblers. The terms evoke the military crackdown on May 18, 1980, against pro-democracy protests in the city of Gwangju.
Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun was fired over the media campaign blunder. Global headquarters called the incident 'unintentional' but 'never should have happened.'
In a Monday announcement, Starbucks Korea operator Shinsegae said all stores nationwide will close at 3 p.m. local time next Monday so staff can attend training on 'historical awareness and social sensitivity.'
This is the first time since Starbucks launched in Korea in 1999 that stores have simultaneously closed early across the country. Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin and senior leaders will also undergo separate training on Wednesday.
Shinsegae Group said: 'This move is to learn from the incident and prevent similar cases from recurring in the future.'
The Gwangju Uprising was a key catalyst in South Korea's democratization, with the country holding its first free elections in decades in 1987 after successive military governments.
The movement was led by student protesters opposing the regime of military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, but was violently suppressed when Chun sent troops to retake the southwestern city. Official figures record more than 200 deaths, but activists and historians estimate the actual toll at over 2,000.
South Korea now has more than 2,000 Starbucks stores, making it the Seattle-based coffee chain's second-largest overseas market after China.
