Starbucks Korea will close all nationwide stores early at 3 p.m. [1] on June 22, 2024 [2], following a controversial marketing campaign.
The decision follows a public outcry over the company's "Tank Day" promotion, which critics said showed an insensitive disregard for Korean historical suffering. The move represents a rare operational shift for the brand, which has not implemented a nationwide early closure since entering the Korean market in 1999 [4].
Shinsegae Group Chairman Jung Yong-jin apologized for the marketing misstep and pledged to implement a history-awareness education program for the group's members. These education sessions are scheduled to take place on June 24, 2024 [3].
"Including myself, all members of the Shinsegae Group will remember the history and sacrifice of our society and will always deeply understand and respect the hearts of the people," Jung said.
The controversy has resulted in significant financial repercussions for the company. Reports indicate that refunds related to the backlash total approximately 4,000 billion KRW [5].
The early closure on June 22 is intended to facilitate the group's internal pivot toward historical education. By shutting down operations across all locations, the company aims to signal a comprehensive commitment to the corrective measures promised by the chairman.
“Starbucks Korea will close all nationwide stores early at 3 p.m. on June 22, 2024.”
The scale of the response—including a total operational shutdown and a multi-billion KRW refund process—highlights the extreme sensitivity of historical memory in South Korean consumer culture. For a global brand like Starbucks, the incident underscores that localized marketing failures can lead to systemic operational disruptions and severe financial losses if they are perceived as insulting to national identity.
