Starbucks Closes Doors at 3 PM for Staff 'History Education' Following Marketing Controversy

[Anchor]

Starbucks locations across the country closed their doors at 3 PM today (June 22). Following a significant blow to its sales and brand image due to the "5·18 Tank Day" marketing controversy, the company has initiated history awareness training for all employees. This marks the first time in 27 years since entering the Korean market that the company has ended operations early.

Reporter Jung Jun-ho has the story.

[Reporter]

A Starbucks store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, this afternoon.

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

As the clock struck 3 PM, customers were asked to leave, staff pulled down the blinds, and latecomers were turned away.

Starbucks Korea, which sparked controversy over its so-called "Tank Day" marketing, closed all 2,160 stores nationwide early to conduct history education for its entire staff.

This early closure is the first of its kind since Starbucks entered Korea in 1999, 27 years ago.

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

[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 embroiled 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 for mocking the May 18 Democratization Movement and the torture-death of activist Park Jong-cheol.

As a boycott movement emerged, the average daily card payment amount at Starbucks dropped by approximately 33% at one point.

Facing a major hit to its corporate image, the company decided to implement follow-up measures, including staff-wide training, despite the loss in revenue from the early closure.

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

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

Starbucks plans to establish a multi-layered verification system to review social sensitivity during the marketing planning phase.

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