Shinsegae Group Chairman Jung Yong-jin and executives, along with all employees of Starbucks Korea, will undergo training to enhance their historical awareness and social sensitivity.
On June 15, Shinsegae Group announced that on June 17, it will conduct history awareness and social sensitivity training for executives from its E-Mart division and employees at Starbucks Korea's headquarters at the Shinsegae Namsan training center.
Notably, Starbucks Korea will close all its stores nationwide early at 3 p.m. on June 22 for this training.
Store partners will gather to watch training videos from the June 17 session and reflect on the brand's values. This marks the first time since its opening in 1999 that all Starbucks locations will close early.
Additionally, Chairman Jung will participate in separate training with subsidiary representatives before a meeting of executives on June 24. This follows his public apology, where he pledged to receive history education, demonstrating a commitment to accountability from top management.
Employees at other E-Mart subsidiaries will also complete the same training through online e-learning over a two-week period starting July 1.
The training will be led by experts in modern Korean history, including Professor Oh Je-yeon from Sungkyunkwan University (history awareness) and Professor Koo Jeong-woo (social sensitivity), who will address proper recognition of modern historical events and social issues such as labor, gender, and human rights relevant to corporate activities.
Starbucks Korea will also overhaul its internal marketing decision-making system. The recent controversy arose from problematic expressions used during the planning phase, which were not filtered out during the reporting and approval process. Moving forward, risk assessments will be conducted at every stage from initial planning to execution.
A key component will be the creation of a 'social sensitivity checklist' with input from external experts. Previously, assessments focused primarily on legality and brand suitability; now, they will also include checks for historical, commemorative, political, disaster, military, gender, violence, and hate speech issues from the planning stage.
This will involve detailed evaluations to ensure that content does not contradict the meanings of public commemorative days or risk being interpreted as hate speech against specific groups.
A new final review system will be established, involving not only the responsible department but also heads of quality and legal departments to ensure multiple validations before content is exposed to customers. Records of who approved the content and their feedback will be meticulously maintained, along with efforts to standardize reporting formats and secure adequate review periods.
Starbucks Korea will also enhance its social contribution activities. To preserve historical values and elevate the significance of social sacrifices, it plans to establish a social contribution fund for infrastructure improvements at modern historical sites and initiatives linked to national and major historical commemorative days. The existing 'Hero Program' will also expand support for individuals dedicated to public service.
The company aims to promote historical education for future generations through various initiatives, including support for historical field trips for elementary, middle, and high school students, sponsorship of university history clubs, and projects to promote accurate historical understanding.
A Shinsegae Group representative stated, "We will use this history awareness training as an opportunity to establish ourselves as a socially healthy company that grows alongside South Korea."
Meanwhile, Starbucks Korea faced backlash after using phrases like 'Tank Day' and 'Desk Bang' during a tumbler promotion event that began on May 15.
'Tank' refers to the military tanks that entered Gwangju in 1980, while 'Desk Bang' evokes a statement made during the 1987 torture and death of activist Park Jong-chul, where authorities attempted to downplay the cause of death (he died after banging on a desk). Criticism of these phrases spread online.
Starbucks promptly halted the event, and Chairman Jung dismissed Starbucks Korea CEO Song Jeong-hyun and the responsible executive. However, the controversy escalated, leading to a boycott of Starbucks and Shinsegae Group.
As the situation intensified, Chairman Jung issued a public apology on May 26 at the Chosun Palace Hotel in Gangnam.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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