Bubble tea chain manager sparks outrage for telling staff to call boss before family in emergency
A popular Korean bubble tea brand sparked backlash after one of their franchise managers told employees to inform their boss before their families in case they were in a plane crash.
The directive was given to employees who worked at the bubble tea store on 29 December, the same day South Korea saw the worst domestic aviation disaster in the country’s history.
A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash landed after failing to deploy its landing gear, then skidded off the runway at Muan airport and rammed into a concrete embankment.
The plane burst into flames, killing all but two of its 181 passengers and crew. The survivors, crew members seated at the rear, suffered injuries but were rescued.
A manager from one of Gong Cha Korea’s franchises at the Shinsegae Department Store in Daegu allegedly told its part-time workers that they must inform him before contacting family in the event they found themselves in a plane crash.
“Did you see the plane explosion today? There are some people going overseas during the holiday. If a crash happens, send me a message saying ‘hire an intern’ first before contacting mum and dad. Do not be absent,” the manager allegedly said, according to a message posted on social media by someone who claimed to be an intern at the Gong Cha franchise location.
The intern added: “Please do not support Gong Cha by spending your money there. Is this really something you should say to a part-time worker? As an adult, don’t you feel ashamed? This is so heartless.”
People were quick to respond in anger, with one comment reading: “Is this person even human? Making such remarks right after a national tragedy?” according to the South China Morning Post.
Another commented: “The manager’s brain must be broken. They have clearly given up on being a decent human being.”
The intern, in their message, said that the manager’s message was not entirely unexpected, as they routinely insulted employees and justified it as them “testing the staff”.
In response, Gong Cha Korea apologised with a statement the next day, saying they were “seriously addressing this issue”.
“We would like to express my deepest condolences to those who lost their precious lives and their bereaved families in the unfortunate accident that occurred at Muan International Airport. We would also like to express my sincere condolences to all those who were hurt by this accident,” the statement began, according to an online translation.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or hurt caused by the inappropriate remarks made at the Shinsegae Daegu franchise store. An investigation determined that the incident resulted from inappropriate personal conduct by the store manager.
“Currently, Gong Cha Korea is seriously addressing this issue and taking appropriate measures against the relevant employees. In addition, we will strengthen our internal management system and prepare improvement measures to prevent this from happening again.
“We would like to once again sincerely apologise to our customers who have always trusted and supported Gong Cha Korea and to our part-time workers who were hurt by this incident.”
A handwritten letter, puportedly from the owner of the store, was also posted on Gong Cha’s social media, where they too apologised, and stated they would improve staff training to prevent an incident like this occurring again.
“I am the owner of a Gong Cha store inside Shinsegae Daegu Department Store. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to many people by our employee’s inappropriate behavior this time,” the letter stated, according to an online translation.
“All of this is the result of my negligence as the store owner, and I deeply regret it. I will do my best to prevent a recurrence by thoroughly improving store operations and employee training.
“We sincerely apologise to everyone who was hurt by this incident, and we will do our best to regain the trust of our customers.
“I bow my head once again and apologise.”
