Starbucks Korea Shutting Stores for History Training

Starbucks is giving its entire South Korea workforce a crash course in history after a marketing fiasco that made light of one of the country's darkest chapters. All stores will shut nationwide for three hours next Monday afternoon so employees can undergo training on historical awareness and social sensitivity, reports the BBC. Top execs are not exempt and will have their own day of training, notes Reuters.

The move follows a storm over a "Tank Day" tumbler promotion that launched on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, when troops killed scores of pro-democracy protesters. The tone-deaf campaign has resulted in boycotts, a high-level firing, and multiple company apologies. Starbucks Korea blamed an AI-assisted marketing process for coming up with the "Tank Day" slogan that was ultimately selected.