Starbucks dedicates its 6th Community Store in South Korea

Portion of proceeds from store will be donated to provide skills training, career development and academic scholarships for family members of those who served with distinction

The Community Store is a partnership between Starbucks Korea, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and Korea National Council on Social Welfare

Starbucks Korea inaugurated its Dongnimmun Station store as the sixth Community Store in the market on August 18^th, dedicated to creating pathways to opportunities for families of men and women of national merit who served with distinction.

A portion of proceeds from the store will be donated to the Korea National Council on Social Welfare to provide academic scholarships and coffee skills training for underserved youth, who are descendants of men and women of national merit, seeking employment opportunities in the coffee industry.    

In celebration of the new Community Store dedication, Starbucks Korea signed a three-way agreement with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare. The signing ceremony was attended by:

• Park Minshik, minster, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
• Kim Soung-Yee, president, Korea National Council on Social Welfare
• Michael Conway, group president, Starbucks International and Channel Development
• Emmy Kan, president, Starbucks Asia Pacific
• Ryan Sohn, ceo, Starbucks Korea

As part of the agreement, Starbucks Korea plans to donate a total of 300 million KRW (approximately $224,000 USD) in scholarships over the next three years, while also conducting a coffee skills-training program in partnership with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

The new Community Store, which is located near a historic site, Dongnimmun, features a mural by local artist Lee Eunjoo, honoring the valor and noble spirit of men and women who served the country. There is also a digital community board showcasing various social impact activities by Starbucks Korea to support the local community.

“The support from Starbucks Korea and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare will provide greater stability for the descendants of those who have devoted themselves to serving the country. We will continue our efforts to honor and support this community and hope the interest will spread across our society,” said Park Minshik, minister, Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

“We are pleased to be part of this very meaningful agreement to provide aid for descendants of men and women of national merit. We will focus on developing more innovative social impact models in the future,” said Kim Soung-Yee, president, Korea National Council on Social Welfare.

“This Community Store speaks to our mission to help nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection, as we contribute positively to the community," said Michael Conway, group president, Starbucks International and Channel Development. “We are proud that through this store model, we’re able to create environments for Starbucks partners to connect with, engage and give back to the communities they serve in meaningful ways around the world.”

“We were able to honor the service of men and women who served with distinction by providing academic scholarships to their descendants since 2015 and our new Community Store represents our unwavering commitment and continued support,” said Ryan Sohn, ceo, Starbucks Korea. “Starbucks remains committed to creating more meaningful occasions for our customers and partners through its Community Stores.”

Starbucks Korea opened its first Community Store in 2014, which supports lifelong skills development for youth through the Starbucks Youth Leadership Program. Today, Starbucks Korea operates 6 Community Stores in the market, and has donated over 3 billion KRW (approximately $2.2 million USD) cumulatively to support local communities. Since entering the market in 1999, Starbucks Korea has grown to be one of the largest markets for Starbucks, with 1,848 stores across 82 cities. Today, more than 23,000 partners (employees) proudly wear the green apron.