Who must not be named? Starbucks, Naver tighten censorship ahead of election

Even if your real name is Lee Jae-myung or Kim Moon-soo, you will not be able to ask Starbucks baristas in Korea to call you by your name when your order is ready — at least until after the June 3 presidential election. As presidential candidates wrapped up registration on Sunday and launched official campaigns on Monday, online platform operators in Korea began tightening censorship. SCK Company, the operator of Starbucks coffee shops in Korea, has temporarily banned customers from using the names of presidential candidates as their nicknames on the Siren Order app. Launched in Korea in 2014 as the world's first mobile ordering app for Starbucks food and beverages, the app allows users to register nicknames to be called when their orders are ready. Even before the latest election campaign, SCK has prohibited "improper" nicknames, including those containing offensive words or names that are difficult to pronounce or likely to confuse employees or other customers. These rules drew attention when some customers used politically controversial nicknames earlier this year, when massive ralWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times