Participants pose for a photo at the dental care fund handover ceremony on Wednesday, including Kwon Sun-mi (from left), store manager of the Starbucks Seoul National University Dental Hospital store; Kim Ji-young, head of the Starbucks ESG team; Yoon Hyeong-in, director of external affairs at Seoul National University Dental Hospital; Yeo In-seong, director of the affiliated Dental Hospital for the Disabled; Yu Su-yeon, deputy center director; Seo Won-hui, dental hygienist; and Ahn So-hyeon, a partner at the Starbucks Boramae Daegyo Building store. [Starbucks Korea]
Participants pose for a photo at the dental care fund handover ceremony on Wednesday, including Kwon Sun-mi (from left), store manager of the Starbucks Seoul National University Dental Hospital store; Kim Ji-young, head of the Starbucks ESG team; Yoon Hyeong-in, director of external affairs at Seoul National University Dental Hospital; Yeo In-seong, director of the affiliated Dental Hospital for the Disabled; Yu Su-yeon, deputy center director; Seo Won-hui, dental hygienist; and Ahn So-hyeon, a partner at the Starbucks Boramae Daegyo Building store. [Starbucks Korea]

Starbucks Korea said Wednesday it donated 100 million won ($70,000) to Seoul National University Dental Hospital to fund dental care for underprivileged people with disabilities.

Starbucks opened its Seoul National University Dental Hospital location in 2021 as its third community store, channeling a portion of the store's sales into a program supporting oral health for people with disabilities. The cumulative fund has reached 600 million won over six years, and 227 patients with disabilities have received dental treatment and surgery through the program.

The store is equipped with Braille menus, tactile maps and Braille signage. Accessible seating and wider pathways accommodate customers in wheelchairs. Staff with and without disabilities work together at the location.

Starbucks sets aside 300 won per item sold at the store and donates the proceeds to the Heart-Heart Foundation. A drawing contest for people with disabilities, held annually since 2021, has drawn 2,321 participants to date. Selected winning works are sold as merchandise, with proceeds fed back into the support program in a self-sustaining cycle.

Medical staff, patients and their guardians from Seoul National University Dental Hospital attended the handover ceremony. Kwon Sun-mi, the store's hearing-impaired manager, said the community store "creates positive change in the local community, one cup of coffee at a time." Starbucks Korea CEO Shin Dong-woo said the company would "continue its social contribution activities to build a society where people with and without disabilities can thrive together."


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