You will not hear some of these names if you walk into any Starbucks in South Korea right now. Six, to be exact, are the names of the candidates vying for president in the next election.
Starbucks has temporarily prohibited consumers from buying beverages with these names, which baristas would call out. The corporation stated that it needed to “maintain political neutrality during election season,” which will be lifted after the election on June 3rd.
South Korean firms and celebrities typically attempt to be perceived as impartial. However, it has grown increasingly important in recent months, since political upheaval caused by former President Yoon Suk Yeol has left the country more divided than ever. As South Korea prepares to elect a new president following Yoon’s impeachment, even the most commonplace issues may become politicised – a lesson Starbucks discovered the hard way.
In recent months, a growing number of consumers have ordered beverages using their app, using statements like “arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” or “[opposition leader] Lee Jae-myung is a spy” as nicknames. Starbucks baristas had no option but to scream these names when the beverages were ready for pickup.
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