Starbucks Korea shuts all 2,000+ stores for mandatory history lesson after 'Tank Day' ad disaster
Washington Examiner—Starbucks Korea announced closures across all of its more than 2,000 outlets on June 22 to put staff through mandatory training on the colonial-era history behind 'Tank Day' — a May 18 promotion that inadvertently evoked a 1980 military massacre. The campaign used imagery tied to the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, in which South Korean military forces killed hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators. The company's response, while broadly welcomed, has drawn scrutiny over how the historical blind spot occurred in the first place.
- Washington Examiner — South Korean Starbucks closes for staff history lesson about tank cruelty day reusable cup
- Financial Times — World — Starbucks Korea closes stores for staff historical awareness training after 'Tank Day' scandal
- The Independent (UK) — Starbucks Korea closes stores early for staff training after a marketing controversy
- ABC News — Money — All outlets shut June 22 after 'Tank Day' promotion on the massacre anniversary
- BBC — World — Marketing ran on the anniversary of a military massacre; closures set for June 22
- Euronews — Closures timed to brief staff on the colonial history behind 'Tank Day'
- South China Morning Post — May 18 'Tank Day' promo evoked the 1980 Gwangju massacre; 2,000+ Korean outlets close next week