Starbucks Blocks Presidential Candidate Names to Stay Neutral in South Korea Election

If you walk into a Starbucks in South Korea right now, there are six names you won’t hear.

These names belong to people running for president. Starbucks has stopped people from using these names when ordering drinks.

The company says it wants to stay neutral during the election. The rule will end after the vote on June 3.

Many businesses and stars in South Korea try to stay neutral. This has become even more important since former president Yoon Suk Yeol was removed. The country is very divided now.

Even small things, like ordering coffee, can turn political. Starbucks found this out recently.

Some people were using political messages as their names when ordering drinks in the app. For example, names like “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” or “Lee Jae-myung is a spy.”

Baristas had to say these names out loud when calling out drink orders.

“To keep our stores a good place for all, we sometimes block names or phrases,” Starbucks said. “This includes names of people in the election.”

This is the first time they have blocked all candidate names. Besides Lee Jae-myung, the other banned names are Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jun-seok, Kwon Young-kook, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Song Jin-ho.

Some people think this rule is too much.

“What if my real name is the same as a candidate’s?” asked Jang Hye-mi, age 33.

Ji Seok-bin, a 27-year-old regular customer, said the rule felt small but made sense because people are so divided now.

“After Yoon’s removal, I don’t talk politics anymore,” he said. “People argue too much.”

Starbucks is not the only company being careful. Naver, the top search site in South Korea, has stopped showing auto-suggestions for candidate names. Google still shows them, like “Lee Jae-myung trial” or “Kim Moon-soo conversion.”

Naver said this helps give fair information during elections.

Celebrities are also being very careful. People watch what they wear and say. Even colors matter. Blue and red can show support for the liberal or conservative party.

In 2022, singer Kim Hee-chul got hate for wearing red slippers and a pink mask. Last year, singer Shinji posted a black and white photo to hide the color of her sweatpants before the election.

Some stars mix red and blue on purpose to show no side. A makeup artist who works with K-pop stars said they use safe colors like black, white, or gray.

Even hand signs can be risky. A peace sign can look like the number two, which might be linked to a candidate. In South Korea, each candidate has a number.

Dr. Cho Jin-man from Duksung Women’s University says people should talk about issues without fighting. But now, many stay quiet just to avoid trouble.