Told Staff His Surname Was "Kim," Got "Kimchi"... Racism Controversy at Hong Kong Airport Starbucks

Hong Kong Airport Store Lists Korean Customer's Surname as "Kimchi"
Employee Says It Was a Mistake; Customer Questions the System
Starbucks Hong Kong Apologizes, Pledges to Strengthen Staff Training

A Starbucks store at Hong Kong International Airport has formally apologized after its staff listed a Korean customer's surname, "Kim," as "Kimchi," sparking accusations of racism.

"Two employees laughed while looking at the monitor"... Store says it was a mistake

A photo in front of a Starbucks store to help readers understand the article. Reuters-Yonhap News

According to The Korea Herald on October 21, a 38-year-old Korean man, identified only by his surname Kim, ordered drinks with his wife at a Starbucks store in the departure area of Hong Kong International Airport on October 11. Before boarding their flight to Seoul, he gave his surname, "Kim," to an employee who asked for his name. When the drink was ready, the employee called out, "Kim."

While waiting to board, Mr. Kim noticed that the order label on his cup read "Kimchi." He told the outlet, "When I received my drink, two employees were looking at the monitor and laughing with each other. At the time, I thought they were laughing about something else and didn't think much of it."

When Mr. Kim returned to ask what had happened, the employee who took his order apologized, saying they had entered his name incorrectly, and said they had not intended to offend him. The manager on duty acknowledged that the labeling was "not polite," but said it was not deliberate. Showing him the register screen, the manager explained that the employee had initially entered "Kim" but accidentally selected "Kimchi" while scrolling through the options.

However, Mr. Kim said that seeing the screen only raised more questions, because changing "Kim" to "Kimchi" appeared to require additional input or a selection. He asked for a formal apology and measures to prevent a recurrence, but received no meaningful response and later contacted the media. Hong Kong outlets including Dim Sum Daily and Weekend HK also reported on the incident, bringing the controversy to local attention.

Starbucks Hong Kong apologizes for "emotional distress"... Similar incidents common overseas

On October 20, six days after receiving an inquiry from The Korea Herald, Starbucks Hong Kong said, "We sincerely apologize for causing the customer emotional distress and concern." It added, "We do not tolerate discrimination or disrespectful behavior, and we take seriously any reports of language or conduct that may cause offense." The company said it had contacted Mr. Kim to apologize directly and would strengthen staff training to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Meanwhile, this is not the first controversy overseas involving derogatory labels targeting Asian customers. In January 2012, an employee at a Starbucks store in Alpharetta, near Atlanta, Georgia, caused controversy by drawing "slanted eyes," a derogatory depiction of Asians, in the name field on an Asian customer's cup. The store manager responded dismissively to the complaint, and the company offered the customer a gift card. Around the same time, it emerged that a Korean American woman had received a receipt at a Papa John's store in Manhattan, New York, with a derogatory term for Asians written in place of her name, prompting an outcry.

At a Starbucks store in Dublin, Ireland, an employee drew "slanted eyes" on a Thai customer's cup. In January 2021, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in Ireland ruled that the incident was racial discrimination and ordered the company to pay 12,000 euros (about 17.88 million won) in compensation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.