The café chain continues its partnership with Junior Achievement Korea
Starbucks Korea has strengthened its long-running commitment to youth employment with the designation of its Jongno R store in central Seoul as the company’s eighth Community Store, expanding funding and programming aimed at helping young people build skills and access job opportunities.
The Jongno R Community Store was officially dedicated on 9 January, with a portion of its proceeds to be donated to Junior Achievement Korea (JA Korea).
The funds will support an expanded range of career education and employment initiatives, designed to create clearer pathways from education to work for young people across the country.
The latest Community Store builds on an eight-year collaboration between Starbucks Korea and JA Korea. Since partnering in 2015, the two organisations have co-developed a suite of youth-focused programs that blend classroom-style learning with practical, workplace-oriented experiences.
According to Starbucks, these initiatives have already reached more than 20,000 vocational high school students nationwide and have helped 470 young people begin careers as Starbucks baristas.
JA Korea CEO Lee Eun-Hyung said the new Community Store represents a significant next step in the partnership.
“I am delighted to join Starbucks Korea in this meaningful community store project, a step forward from our eight-year collaboration in youth skill-building program,” and ” we are committed to making the 8th Community Store a beacon of hope for young people in the local community,” commented Eun-Hyung.
For Starbucks Korea, the Jongno R Community Store marks a broadening of its social impact strategy, particularly in how it serves young people facing barriers to employment.
Ryan Sohn, CEO of Starbucks Korea, said: “This collaboration, which now extends to include vocational high school students and other young community members in need, represents a significant expansion of our youth employment support efforts. We are dedicated to empowering more youth through this new Community Store, helping them to design and grow a bright future.”
As part of the expanded partnership, Starbucks and JA Korea will scale their skill-building education programs beyond teenagers in traditional school settings. The initiatives will now include community college students and underserved youth in various regions, reflecting a growing need for accessible, practical training outside of four-year university tracks.
A key element of the next phase will be the introduction of “Opportunity Fairs,” an event series designed to combine career guidance with hands-on support. At these fairs, young participants will be able to take part in lectures and experiential learning activities such as resume photo shooting, personal assessments, barista job counselling and mock interviews.
The goal is to equip them not only with technical skills, but also with the confidence and tools needed to compete in a challenging job market.
The Community Store model, which channels a portion of store profits into local social impact programs, allows Starbucks Korea to tie its business operations directly to community development.
By situating the latest Community Store in Jongno, one of Seoul’s most historic and central districts, Starbucks aims to position the store as a visible symbol of its social responsibility agenda and a practical resource for young people seeking employment pathways.
With the addition of the Jongno R Community Store, Starbucks Korea signals that it is not only maintaining but expanding its focus on youth empowerment. The company’s partnership with JA Korea now spans nearly a decade, and the announcement suggests a continued emphasis on long-term, programmatic support rather than one-off donations.
Through the combination of targeted funding, specialized training programs and on-the-ground opportunities for work, Starbucks Korea and JA Korea say they aim to help thousands more young people gain skills, secure employment and build sustainable careers in the years ahead.
