Anger as Korea coffee chain tells staff to call boss before family in event of plane crash
‘Inhumane’ comments by ‘heartless’ shop boss come as South Korea suffers its deadliest airline disasters ever, ignite angry public backlash
A Korean drinks brand has suffered an angry backlash after a shop manager heartlessly instructed employees to inform their boss ahead of their families in the event of a plane crash.
The row developed on December 29, after a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok to South Korea crashed on landing killing 179 people.
It was the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil to date.
Controversy raged after a manager from a Gong Cha Korea franchise at the Shinsegae Department Store in Daegu, southeastern South Korea, made comments that sparked public outrage.
Gong Cha was founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
In 2017, 70 per cent of its ownership was sold to Kim Yeo-Jin, the owner of Gong Cha Korea, the brand’s Korean franchisee, with backing from the private equity firm Unison Capital.
