[Exclusive] 'Jeongguk Asaranghae' and 'Park Bogum Dalm-eun' All OK... Changing Starbucks Call My Name

Changes to KolMyName Service Policy... Verbs and Adjectives Allowed for More Diverse Nickname Registrations
Nickname Changes Allowed; Users with 3+ Inappropriate Nicknames Detected Within 3 Months Banned for 30 Days

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Starbucks Coffee Korea is changing the operating policy of its customer nickname registration service, 'Call My Name.' To strengthen communication with customers, the service will now allow a wider variety of nicknames to be registered, while simultaneously restricting the use of inappropriate nicknames. This appears to be an effort to continuously filter out and prevent politically biased nicknames ahead of the April general elections.

According to Starbucks Coffee Korea on the 18th, Starbucks is changing the Call My Name service, which previously only allowed nouns, to now also permit verbs and adjectives. Nickname changes, which were not allowed before, will now be possible up to four times per month. Since Call My Name has become a new cultural trend among younger generations, expanding the allowed range is expected to further enhance communication with customers. Previously, there were no restrictions on nickname use, but now if a user is caught registering inappropriate nicknames three or more times within the last three months, they will be banned from using the nickname service for 30 days. Expressions that violate public morals and social norms, such as profanity, obscenity, hateful words, or slang used to directly insult or demean others, remain prohibited as before.

A Starbucks representative said, "To establish a proper culture of nickname use and provide a better nickname service, we are changing the operating policy of the Call My Name service," adding, "The changes will be applied within this month."

Call My Name is a system where My Starbucks Rewards members registered on the Starbucks application can have their registered names called out to pick up their drinks. This system was first introduced by Starbucks Korea in January 2014, making it the first Starbucks worldwide to implement such a customer-friendly policy. It is no exaggeration to say that this customer-centric policy has driven Starbucks Korea’s growth. The number of My Starbucks Rewards members exceeds 5 million. An office worker who is a fan of BTS said, "Now, not only the nickname 'Jungkookbuin' but also 'JungkookaSaranghae' is possible," adding, "I will register quickly and visit Starbucks stores more often."

However, the service has also been at the center of controversy due to politically charged nicknames. During the 19th presidential election, Starbucks restricted nicknames related to then-candidate Moon Jae-in’s name and nicknames, but allowed nicknames of competing candidates such as Hong Joon-pyo, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yoo Seung-min, and Sim Sang-jung, drawing criticism. For example, 'Moon Jae-in President' was not allowed as a nickname, but 'Hong Joon-pyo President' or 'Ahn Cheol-soo President' were permitted. Although problematic nicknames are filtered through daily monitoring, the large volume of diverse nickname registrations made it impossible to preemptively ban them.

A Starbucks representative explained, "Starbucks’ principle is to remain neutral without favoring any particular political party or politician," adding, "Words or sentences that directly insult or support politicians or political parties are banned through ongoing monitoring even if initially registered."

A product launched through collaboration between Starbucks and BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan).

Ahead of the general elections, nicknames including names like former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon or Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn have been rampant, raising concerns that the Call My Name service could again become a political controversy. This appears to be the reason for the newly introduced service usage restriction clause.

Meanwhile, Starbucks’ nickname service has become a cultural phenomenon. Many users who set witty and creative nicknames that others wouldn’t think of, and then get their nicknames 'restricted' by Starbucks, capture the moment and post it on social networking services (SNS) to gain recognition. Additionally, amusing nicknames used at Starbucks are always popular posts on SNS. For example, when the drama 'Descendants of the Sun' was popular, a netizen who successfully registered the nickname 'Captain Yoo Si-jin' received much admiration.

An internet community post about receiving an email from Starbucks asking to change the nickname 'Ojimashipsho' (meaning 'Please don’t come') also attracted attention. Another popular post was about a nickname 'Park Bo-gum-dalmeun' (meaning 'Looks like Park Bo-gum') being rejected. At Starbucks stores, when drinks are ready, customers are called with 'Customer' or 'Nim' (a polite suffix) appended. One netizen said, "If adjectives and other parts of speech are all allowed, then we might hear 'Park Bo-gum-dalmeun Customer' called out," adding, "It will become a fun cultural play."