Starbucks Korea will close more than 2,000 of its stores next Monday afternoon for mandatory training sessions focused on modern Korean history and social sensitivity, following a widely condemned promotional campaign linked to a significant national tragedy. The half-day shutdown, set to begin at 3 p.m. local time, aims to address the backlash sparked by a controversial marketing effort that coincided with the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju massacre, a pro-democracy uprising violently suppressed by the military.
The campaign, held on May 18—the same date as the Gwangju incident—promoted a “tank” tumbler series using the slogan “thwack on the desk,” a phrase laden with painful historical resonance. The wording recalled a discredited police explanation from a 1987 case in which student activist Park Jong-chul died under torture, with authorities falsely claiming he died after an officer hit a desk during interrogation. The insensitive timing and language provoked strong condemnation, prompting public boycotts, acts of vandalism against Starbucks merchandise, and severed ties from several government ministries.
Starbucks Korea’s parent license holder, Shinsegae Group, confirmed that billionaire chairman Chung Yong-jin and other company executives will also participate in the education sessions, scheduled two days after the employee training. The curriculum reportedly covers key events in contemporary Korean history and instructs on the importance of respecting social and historical sensitivities in corporate marketing. Apart from a few airport locations, all Starbucks outlets in Korea will suspend operations during the training. Industry analysts estimate the closures will cost the company approximately 2.1 billion won (about £1 million) in lost sales.
The controversy intensified rapidly after the campaign’s launch. Starbucks Korea retracted the promotion within hours and ousted its chief executive on the same day. Chung publicly apologized both in writing and during a televised press conference where he bowed three times. Starbucks’ global headquarters in Seattle also sent a formal apology to the May 18 Foundation, a key organization representing victims of the Gwangju massacre, after the foundation requested a formal response.
An internal investigation by Starbucks Korea found no indication of deliberate offense, and a police inquiry remains ongoing. However, Seoul authorities have registered Chung and the former chief executive as criminal suspects. The episode exposed continuing societal divisions over the interpretation of the Gwangju uprising, with far-right groups perpetuating a debunked narrative that the protesters were North Korean sympathizers—a claim recently rejected as false and defamatory by South Korea’s Supreme Court.
Payment data reveal Starbucks Korea’s sales dropped by 26% in the week following the incident but showed tentative recovery of nearly 13% in early June, though overall volumes have yet to return to pre-controversy levels. The company described the training initiative and temporary closures as part of its commitment to taking responsibility for the promotional misstep and mitigating the harm caused by the insensitive campaign.