Starbucks Korea is set to take the unprecedented step of closing all of its local coffee shops for half a day next week to conduct mandatory historical sensitivity training for its staff. This move comes in the wake of a massive public relations disaster caused by a "Tank Day" promotion held on May 18. The date, which coincided with the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising—a tragic period where over 165 civilians were killed during a military crackdown—sparked widespread outrage, protests, and a noticeable dip in sales for the company’s third-largest global market.

To address the oversight, which the company admitted was caused by a lack of legal review and internal negligence, Starbucks Korea will shut its doors nationwide at 3:00 pm for three hours of educational programming. While airport locations will remain open, thousands of employees will be watching instructional videos to improve their social awareness. Furthermore, senior executives and the chairman of Shinsegae Group, which operates the Starbucks brand in the country, are scheduled to undergo their own intensive training sessions two days later, signaling a high-level effort to recover the brand's reputation after the company’s previous Korea CEO was fired over the scandal.