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Starbucks Korea headquarters and store partners gather for a company-wide education and networking event in 2025. / Starbucks Korea

Starbucks Korea is implementing history and social sensitivity training for all executives and employees, alongside a comprehensive overhaul of its internal decision-making processes, to prevent any recurrence of recent marketing controversies.

Shinsegae Group announced on June 15 that it will conduct history and social sensitivity training on June 17 for executives of E-Mart division affiliates and headquarters staff of Starbucks Korea. The group-wide measure reflects a serious acknowledgment of the controversy and aims to block similar incidents.

The training will take place at Shinsegae Namsan, the group's training facility. Executives from Starbucks Korea and key E-Mart affiliates will attend lectures focusing on history and corporate social responsibility.

Starbucks store partners nationwide will also participate. On June 22, Starbucks will close all of its stores early at 3:00 p.m. so that employees can view training videos at their respective locations. This marks the first time since entering the South Korean market in 1999 that Starbucks has systematically closed all stores nationwide early.

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin will undergo separate training alongside affiliate CEOs. Chairman Chung is scheduled to attend a history and social sensitivity session on June 24 prior to a presidential board meeting. The move fulfills his recent public apology pledge to complete historical education and reaffirms executive accountability.

Other E-Mart division employees will complete online courses starting next month. The two-week program will initially target headquarters staff and on-site managers.

The education program will be led by Oh Je-yeon, a professor of Korean modern and contemporary history at Sungkyunkwan University, and Ku Jeong-woo, a sociology professor at the same institution. The history curriculum will cover major events in modern Korean history and the importance of historical perception, while the social sensitivity lectures will address social issues relevant to corporate activities, including history, labor, gender, and human rights.

Alongside the education, Starbucks Korea is thoroughly restructuring its marketing verification system. Backed by consulting from external agencies, the company will introduce a social sensitivity checklist covering sensitive categories such as history, anniversaries, politics, disasters, military affairs, gender, and hate speech.

Through this checklist, risks will be pre-screened from planning to execution. The process will closely examine whether any elements conflict with the spirit of public holidays or memorial days, or if any expressions could be interpreted as discrimination or hate speech targeting specific groups.

Furthermore, Starbucks will ensure sufficient review time in its marketing schedules and standardize reporting and approval formats to tighten inspection. A multi-layered verification process will be created right before content releases, requiring final reviews from heads of related departments, including quality control and legal affairs.

Starbucks Korea will also expand corporate social responsibility programs to preserve historical heritage and support education for future generations. The company will establish a social contribution fund to restore modern historical landmarks and support national anniversaries, while launching history programs such as funding middle and high school field trips and university history clubs.

"We will use this training and institutional overhaul as an opportunity to further strengthen our social responsibility and do our utmost to rebuild customer trust," a Shinsegae Group official said.

                                                                                                       Jung Moon-kyung