Daejeon Mayor Lee Jangwoo: "Suspending Efforts to Attract Starbucks Reserve Roastery"

"The Old Daejeon Provincial Government Building Will Be Restored to Its Original Form and Returned to the Citizens"

Lee Jangwoo, mayor of Daejeon, is giving a city administration briefing on the 19th. / Daejeon Photo by Park Jongmyung

Daejeon City has announced the suspension of its efforts to attract a Starbucks Reserve Roastery store to the old Daejeon Provincial Government Office in the original downtown area.

On the 19th, Daejeon Mayor Lee Jangwoo stated during a city administration briefing, "We are halting the attraction of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery store," adding, "We will proceed with restoring the building to its original form so that it becomes a symbol of the 8th popularly elected administration's cultural and economic policies, and return it to the citizens."

Mayor Lee cited the lack of time and changes in the market, such as declining sales at Starbucks, as reasons for the suspension.

Given that it would take at least two years for Starbucks to make a final decision, it would be difficult to align with the city's planned first project for utilizing the old Daejeon City Hall.

He also considered the global decline in coffee sales and the fact that, according to Starbucks International (SCI) policy, the expansion of high-end stores like Roasteries has effectively been halted.

Mayor Lee said, "Commercial facilities that can help efficiently utilize the first Daejeon City Hall and revitalize the original downtown economy are necessary," adding, "We will continue to consider the possibility of bringing in convenience facilities needed for the operation of the building."

During a business trip to Seattle, USA, Mayor Lee met with Starbucks officials and proposed, "We are willing to offer the recently acquired old Daejeon Provincial Government Office to Starbucks. Since it is our building, we can provide it at a low cost for a long term, and it is only 50 meters from Sung Sim Dang, so it would create a great synergy effect," actively pursuing efforts to attract the Starbucks Reserve Roastery store to Daejeon.

Old Daejeon Provincial Government Building / Daejeon City

With the decision to abandon the Starbucks Reserve Roastery project, the city now plans to focus on restoring the old Daejeon Provincial Government Office to its original form, considering its significance as the first Daejeon City Hall.

As the first phase, the city has ordered demolition work to remove interior materials added after major renovations in 1996, and is preparing a plan for the second phase of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's central investment review.

The city envisions the first floor as a pop-up exhibition space and select shop for local leading companies and brands, and the second floor as an expanded exhibition space focusing on Daejeon's modern and contemporary commerce, urban development, and popular culture. The third floor, which has retained much of its original appearance, will be recreated as a multipurpose hall replicating the 1930s-1940s public assembly hall, suitable for large events and performances.