Starbucks Closes Stores at 3 PM for Company-Wide 'History Education'

[Anchor]

Starbucks, which faced backlash over its "Tank Day" marketing controversy, closed its stores nationwide at 3 PM yesterday (June 22). Facing significant hits to both revenue and its brand image, the company ended operations early to conduct history awareness training for all employees.

Jung Jun-ho reports.

[Reporter]

A Starbucks location in Mapo-gu, Seoul, yesterday afternoon.

Despite being a time that should be bustling with customers, the interior of the store is quiet.

As 3 PM struck, customers left the premises, and employees pulled down the blinds and turned away late arrivals.

Starbucks Korea, embroiled in the so-called "Tank Day" marketing controversy, closed all 2,160 of its stores nationwide early to provide history education to its entire staff.

This early closure marks the first time Starbucks has shut down operations early since entering the Korean market 27 years ago in 1999.

On June 17, 150 employees, including head office staff, received training on historical awareness and social sensitivity, and employees at each store watched the recorded session together.

[Koo Jeong-woo / Professor of Sociology at Sungkyunkwan University (Starbucks Training Instructor): (People) are experiencing various conflicts, and because they possess sensitivity toward historical events, it is very important to well understand and study social sensitivity.]

Previously, Starbucks was swept up in controversy last month on the 18th when it used phrases like "Tank Day" and "Bang on the desk!" during a tumbler promotion event, which were criticized as mocking the May 18 Democratization Movement and the torture-death of activist Park Jong-cheol.

As a boycott movement emerged, Starbucks' average daily card transaction volume at one point dropped by approximately 33%.

With its corporate image severely damaged, the company took the follow-up measure of training all employees, accepting the loss in revenue from the early closure.

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin also plans to watch the same training video.

[Bae Gyu-tae / Mapo-gu, Seoul: Wouldn't it be more important for those who make the decisions to receive the education? They should admit what was wrong when it was wrong.]

Starbucks plans to establish a multi-layered verification system, such as reviewing social sensitivity during the marketing planning stage.

Reported by Park Hyun-chul | Video by Park Ji-in | Graphics by Lee Jun-ho | VJ by Jung Han-wook | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.