News · 16 June 2026
Starbucks Korea shuts all stores for history training
Unsplash / TR
The whole operation is shutting on 22 June after a disastrous marketing campaign caused widespread public and political backlash. Starbucks Korea ran a 'Tank Day' promotion on 18 May, which unintentionally marked a 1980 massacre and used a controversial slogan. The company estimates this will cost it about 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in lost sales from over 2,000 closed stores.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs