Starbucks outlets across South Korea were ordered to shut their doors for a full day this week after a public backlash over the company’s decision to include a “cultural awareness” session about the country’s colonial past in its staff training. The move came after a popular online petition accused the coffee giant of glossing over Japan’s harsh 35-year occupation of Korea, which ended in 1945.
The so-called “History of Korea” module, which was meant to be a brief overview for new employees, sparked fury when leaked materials appeared to downplay forced labour and sexual slavery. Critics said it treated the period as a “minor misunderstanding” between neighbours. The backlash was swift. Within hours, the hashtag #StarbucksHistoryLesson was trending on Korean social media, with many calling for a boycott.
Starbucks Korea’s CEO, Lee Sang-kyu, issued a public apology and announced that all 1,600 branches would close for a day on March 6 so that every employee could attend a “corrective educational session”. The session will be run by a neutral historian, not the company. In a statement, the company said it “deeply regrets the pain caused by insensitive wording” and promised to “do better”.
For many ordinary Koreans, the apology is too little, too late. Park Eun-ji, a 34-year-old office worker from Seoul, told me as she queued at a rival coffee shop: “Starbucks is a global brand. They should have known better. This isn’t just about coffee. It’s about respect for our history. We haven’t forgotten the pain of our grandparents.”
The episode reveals a wider truth: in a country where the memory of colonial rule is still raw, corporate missteps can be costly. Starbucks is not the first to stumble. Last year, a Japanese carmaker faced a similar backlash for using a wartime slogan in an advert. The lesson for multinationals is clear: treat history with care, or face the consequences.
But the backlash also raises questions about the role of corporations in teaching history. Some argue that a coffee shop cannot replace a classroom. Professor Kim Hyun-woo of Seoul National University said: “History lessons should be left to schools and universities. When companies try to do it, they often get it wrong because their priority is profit, not accuracy.”
Still, the closure of all stores for a day is a dramatic move. It will cost Starbucks millions in lost sales. But the company hopes it will save its reputation. For the workers, many of whom are young and on minimum wage, the day off is unpaid. That has sparked a separate debate on workers’ rights. One barista, who asked not to be named, said: “We are being punished for management’s mistake. I can’t afford to miss a day’s pay.”
In the end, this is a story about power: the power of public opinion to force a giant to its knees, and the power of history to still stir deep emotions. Starbucks will recover. But for many Koreans, the memory of occupation will never be just a lesson. It is a lived experience passed down through families. And no amount of marketing can erase that.
