Starbucks closed all of its more than 2,000 outlets across South Korea early on Monday for a mandatory history lesson for staff, following a PR scandal over a controversial advertising campaign by Shinsegae, which holds the licence for the US parent company’s Korean business.
The cafés were closed on Monday afternoon to allow employees to attend the compulsory training.
Last month, Shinsegae promoted a stainless steel thermos cup called the “SS Tank” and declared May 18 “Tank Day.”
The South Korean public reacted with outrage: On May 18, 1980, the military government of the time violently suppressed a pro-democracy movement in the South Korean city of Gwangju, deploying tanks in the crackdown. Several hundred people were killed.
Shinsegae’s campaign triggered public calls for a boycott and was halted after just a few hours.
The ambiguous abbreviation SS, apparently standing in this case for stainless steel but also used for Adolf Hitler’s notorious paramilitary organization, played only a minor role in the controversy.
President Lee Jae Myung also criticized the campaign. “I am furious at the inhumane behaviour of such businesspeople,” Lee wrote on his X account.
Shinsegae has apologized and dismissed the executive responsible. Following an internal investigation, the company stressed that it had no intention of defaming the victims of the democracy movement.
Seoul police are also currently investigating the background to the case.