{"id":53224,"date":"2026-06-15T07:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/53224\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T07:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:51:08","slug":"starbucks-korea-to-shut-stores-for-history-training-after-tank-day-furore-business-and-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/53224\/","title":{"rendered":"Starbucks Korea to shut stores for history training after \u2018Tank Day\u2019 furore | Business and Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"article__subhead\">Coffee chain to hold \u2018historical awareness\u2019 training after backlash against marketing campaign that evoked 1980 military crackdown.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"avatar\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/author\/powerj\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/jp-1730786685-rotated.jpg\"   aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Published On 15 Jun 202615 Jun 2026<\/p>\n<p>Starbucks stores in South Korea will close early next week so employees can receive history instruction after a botched marketing campaign triggered a public backlash, the US coffee chain\u2019s local operator says.<\/p>\n<p>The move comes after Starbucks Korea provoked a furore last month with a marketing campaign that evoked one of the most painful chapters in the country\u2019s march to democracy.<\/p>\n<p>Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n<p>The coffee giant\u2019s use of the wording \u201cTank Day\u201d and \u201c5\/18\u201d to promote a range of coffee tumblers outraged South Koreans by evoking a military crackdown on May 18, 1980, against a pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.<\/p>\n<p>Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun was fired over his role in the PR disaster, which Starbucks\u2019s global headquarters said was \u201cunintentional\u201d but \u201cnever should have happened\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement on Monday, Starbucks Korea operator Shinsegae Group said all outlets nationwide will close at 3pm (06:00 GMT) on Monday next week so employees can participate in \u201chistorical awareness and social sensitivity\u201d training.<\/p>\n<p>Shinsegae Group said the move will\u00a0mark the first time that stores have shut early all at once across the country since Starbucks launched in South Korea in 1999.<\/p>\n<p>Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and top executives will separately undergo training on Wednesday, the retail conglomerate said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe move is intended to take the incident as a lesson and prevent similar cases from recurring across the group in the future,\u201d Shinsegae Group said.<\/p>\n<p>The Gwangju Uprising was a major catalyst in the democratisation of South Korea, which held its first free elections in decades in 1987 after a succession of military-led administrations.<\/p>\n<p>Led by student protesters opposed to the rule of military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, the democratisation movement was violently crushed when Chun deployed the military to retake control of the southwestern city.<\/p>\n<p>Government figures put the death toll at more than 200 people, but activists and historians have estimated the true figure to be more than 2,000.<\/p>\n<p>South Korea is home to more than 2,000 Starbucks outlets, making the country the second biggest overseas market for the Seattle-based chain after China.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coffee chain to hold \u2018historical awareness\u2019 training after backlash against marketing campaign that evoked 1980 military crackdown. 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