As South Korea gears up for its recent presidential election, the country has experienced a surge in political neutrality efforts. Starbucks, meanwhile, has drawn headlines for banning mention of any candidates’ names in its stores—even the ones not running for president. This dangerously provocative step comes after the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, igniting a firestorm of political rhetoric. This decision is an attempt to maintain a non-partisan mood within its coffeehouses. That special election season will come to a climax on June 3.
The prohibition on candidate names is all part of Starbucks’ bigger public image effort to make sure that none of their customers ever has a bad experience. The company recently wrote that they put customer satisfaction first. They want nothing less than to guarantee that every single customer has an amazing experience in their coffeehouses. This was their response to our question. In addition, they may block any mention of employee or customer-identified phrases that might mislead consumers, like the names of political candidates during election season, so that they don’t accidentally appear to take a stance.
This decision reflects moves made by South Korea’s leading online portal, Naver. Naver has taken additional steps to provide “more precise and equal information in the process of election campaign.” South Korean commercial enterprises and iconic figures are starting to take a neutral stance during times of political tension. These new initiatives are a sign of this emerging trend.
Currently, South Korea’s political landscape is experiencing a surge of candidates. 4366 Pass Lee Jae-myung, Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jun-seok, Kwon Young-kook, Hwang Kyo-ahn, Song Jin-ho. Each candidate is given an arbitrary number, something they worry could accidentally be interpreted as a blessing. As South Koreans deal with this thorny political climate, policymakers and other public figures are becoming much more sensitive about their associations and speech.
Ji Seok-bin, a frequent customer of Starbucks, is against the ban as it’s too much. Since [Yoon’s impeachment] I don’t speak much about political issues. Often it feels like the ideological divide has become so wide that any dialogue immediately descends into a shouting match,” he said. Ji defended the ban’s impropriety, adding, “I think folks are being over-sensitive. What if your legal name happens to be the same as a candidate’s?”
33-year-old makeup artist Jang Hye-mi explained how styling teams try to remain as apolitical as possible, even during elections. She stressed the extremes they’re driven to in order to reach that neutrality. She explained that her team tries to use politically symbolic colors on purpose to avoid any sort of misinterpretation. “We tend to live in really neutral palettes—black and white, grey,” she said.
Social media has become an essential tool for influencing public opinion, often in powerful and sometimes nefarious ways. Even celebrity endorsements and fashion statements can get people riled up. When K-pop star Kim Hee-chul of the group Super Junior sported red slippers and a pink mask, social media erupted. His critics took his clothing choice as a sign of endorsement for the ruling People Power Party (PPP). Meanwhile, Shinji, Koyote’s lead vocalist, picked a stark black-and-white gym pic as his IG profile pic. He didn’t want to pick any colors that would awaken political agitation. Other celebrities, such as Defconn and Shinji, have taken similar precautions by avoiding the display of colors associated with political affiliations in their posts.
Dr. Cho Jin-man, an authority on social dynamics, argued for the need to ensure that neutrality occurs in public discourse. He remarked, “It is important to be able to talk about different things without crossing the line, and to be able to recognize and understand differences.” He continued that at times, it’s best to “just be quiet to just be politically correct.”