South Korea's Starbucks to shut for staff history lesson after backlash

Starbucks in South Korea will shut all its shops for half a day next week so staff can attend a history lesson following public outrage over a promotional campaign that evoked a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The coffee chain faced widespread criticism after it launched a "Tank Day" reusable cup promotion on the anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, in which at least 165 civilians were killed by the military. Many believe the real figure to be much higher.

Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks under a licensing agreement in South Korea, fired the country's chief executive on the day of the scandal.

Chairman Chung Yong-jin will also take the training, the company announced.

Outlets will close across the country at 15:00 local time (06:00 GMT) for three hours next Wednesday to accomodate for the staff training and will not reopen until the following day.

On Monday, all employees at Starbucks Korea stores will "receive education in historical awareness and social sensitivity through watching videos", it added.

It will be the first nationwide early closure of Starbucks Korea since the chain opened in the country in 1999.

The "Tank Day" promotion was for the chain's Tank Series drink tumblers, touted as having "spacious volume" for a large amount of coffee.