Starbucks avoids brewer disputes by banning presidential candidates

Go to any Starbucks in South Korea right now, and there are some names that you definitely don’t hear.

Six more precisely – and they represent the names of candidates working in the future presidential race.

All because Starbucks temporarily blocked the customers who order the drinks from using these names that will cause baissa.

The company stated that it was necessary to “maintain political neutrality in the election season”, adding that it would be lifted after the June 3 elections.

South Korean enterprises and celebrities usually seek to be considered neutral. But in recent months, this has become more important, because the political upheaval caused by former President Jonn Suka Yeal has left the country more divided than if -something.

Now, as South Korea is preparing to select its new president after impeachment, even the most down -to -earth things can become politicized – the Starbucks lesson has learned a difficult way.

In recent months, there has been an increasing number of customers who order drinks through their app, and setting up phrases such as “Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest” or “(opposition leader) Lee Jun-spy like their nicknames.

The Starbucks Barista had little choice except shouting these names as soon as the drinks were ready to collect.

“Our goal is to make sure that every client has excellent experience in our cafes,” Starbucks said in a statement about his new step to ban six presidential candidates.

“To help with this, we sometimes block some phrases that our employees or customers can be understood – for example, the names of political candidates with reports of support or opposition in the election season to maintain neutrality.”

But this notes for the first time when he banned the names of all candidates who work in the elections. In addition to Lee, other names-kim-mong-su, Lee Zhong-Sek, Quon Young-Kuk, Khuang Kio-Ahn and the Gin-Ha song.

Some believe that the coffee giant takes things too far.

“I think people are too sensitive. What to do if your real name coincides with the candidate?” The 33-year-old Gian Hie-mi said.

Ji Seque Bin, a 27-year-old guy who is regular in Starbucks, said he believed that the rule is “too trivial”, although he said he understands the logic behind it, given the country’s political tensions.

“I am no longer talking about politics after (impeachment). It seems that the ideological gap has grown so much that conversations often turn into arguments.”

Starbucks is not one. The largest search engine in the country, Naver, disabled the auto -completion and related proposals for candidates as usual in the election season.

Google search for Lei, which is widely leaning to win the election, gives phrases such as “Court Lee Ju” – a link to the fact that it is involved in several criminal proceedings.

The search for a conservative presidential candidate Kim Mong-Sa brings a corresponding proposal to “transform” because he is allegedly “transformed” from being a hot activist to a conservative politician.

The shorteth said he decided to do so to “provide more accurate and fair information during the election campaign.”

Celebrities and public figures are also very careful because they adhere to high standards of political impartiality. Even the clothes they wear during the elections would be very carefully studied.

Wearing colors such as blue and red – representing the Liberal -Democratic Party of the country (DP) and the Conservative Party Power Power (PPP) respectively – in the past it was enough to cause an online reaction.

Sometimes even a baseball cap or a tie on your own to make accusations of supporting guerrillas.

During the latest presidential election in 2022, Kim Khul with K-Pop Group Super Junior was charged with the PPP supporter when he was noticed in red slippers and a pink mask.

Last year, Shinji, the leading vocalist of the popular trio, posted on Instagram black -white photo of training the day before the general election, signed that she “made a photo of the black -white … (after) seeing the color of my sports pants.”

“Fun and sad at the same time,” she added.

Some celebrities go even further, intentionally wear a mixture of red and blue.

One makeup artist with more than a decade of work with K-Pop Stars and actors told the BBC that during the election, the laying team was avoiding politically symbolic colors.

“Usually we adhere to neutral tones such as black, white or gray,” said the makeup artist who refused to call it.

Celebrities should even be careful when hitting the posture, she added.

Blinking a Peace sign for a photo? This can be read as number two – and thus the approval of the political candidate. In South Korea, the candidate for the election is appointed number.

Dr Cho Cho Jin-Mon from the Women’s University of Duksung says “it is important to be able to talk about different things without crossing the line, and to be able to recognize and understand the differences.”

But with so many divisions in the country, he adds that many choose “silent to remain politically neutral.”