Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, along with executives and all Starbucks Korea staff, will undergo training to improve historical awareness as a follow-up measure to the "Tank Day" controversy. To this end, all Starbucks stores nationwide will close early at 3 p.m. on the 22nd.
Shinsegae Group announced on the 15th that it will conduct historical awareness and social sensitivity training for executives of E-Mart division affiliates and Starbucks Korea headquarters employees. Chairman Chung, in particular, will receive the training together with affiliate CEOs ahead of the executives' meeting to be held on the 24th.
On the 26th of last month, Chung apologized over the controversy surrounding Starbucks' "Tank Day" event, saying, "I sincerely bow my head and apologize, and ask for your forgiveness." The company plans to pledge to fulfill its responsibility so that incidents similar to the Starbucks marketing affair are not repeated.
Executives of E-Mart division affiliates and Starbucks Korea headquarters employees will receive training on the 17th at Shinsegae Namsan, the in-house training center. All executives of E-Mart division affiliates, including E-Mart, are expected to attend the training.
Partners (employees) working at Starbucks Korea stores will receive training on the 22nd. On that day, all stores nationwide will close early at 3 p.m. and listen to lectures on historical consciousness and social sensitivity by watching video footage of the training conducted on the 17th, store by store.
Starbucks will also take time to reflect on its brand value of "dedicating ourselves to one customer, one beverage, and our neighbors." This marks the first time all Starbucks Korea stores will close early simultaneously since the chain opened in 1999.
Employees of other E-Mart division affiliates are expected to take the same training through online courses over two weeks starting July 1. The historical awareness training will be led by Oh Je-yeon, professor of history at Sungkyunkwan University. Oh, a scholar whose main field is modern Korean history, will revisit major modern and contemporary historical events that occurred from the 1950s onward and lecture on how they should be correctly understood.
The social sensitivity training will be conducted by Koo Jeong-woo, professor of sociology at Sungkyunkwan University. He will explain how companies should consider and pay attention to social issues such as history, labor, gender, and human rights when carrying out corporate activities such as marketing.
A Shinsegae Group official said, "Starbucks Korea has decided to strengthen its risk-prevention system, including overhauling its online and offline marketing processes, to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents," adding, "The company-wide training is also a measure to take this marketing affair seriously and clearly demonstrate our commitment to preventing recurrence."
