Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and all Starbucks Korea employees will undergo history and social sensitivity training starting this Wednesday [1].

This initiative follows a public backlash regarding the company's "Tank Day" marketing campaign. The move signals an effort by one of South Korea's largest retail conglomerates to address gaps in historical awareness and human rights sensitivity within its corporate culture.

The training program targets a wide range of personnel, including Starbucks Korea headquarters staff, executives from E-mart affiliates, and every store employee [1]. Education will focus on historical perception, human rights, and gender sensitivity [1].

Scheduled sessions begin June 17 at the Shinsegae Namsan corporate training center for headquarters staff and executives [1]. On June 22, all Starbucks stores nationwide will close at 3 p.m. to allow employees to view training videos [1], [2]. This marks the first time since the company began opening stores in 1999 that all locations across the country will close early simultaneously [1].

Chairman Chung Yong-jin is also scheduled to participate in the training on June 24, prior to a meeting with the company's presidents [1].

The company said the training is a follow-up measure to improve the social sensitivity of the organization regarding history and human rights [1].

“All Starbucks stores nationwide will close at 3 p.m. to allow employees to view training videos.”

The decision to shut down all Starbucks locations nationwide for a single afternoon is an unprecedented operational sacrifice for the company. By involving the chairman and the entire workforce, Shinsegae is attempting to perform a high-visibility corporate 'reset' to mitigate brand damage and signal a commitment to social responsibility following a marketing failure.