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SEOUL — In South Korea, where homes are rarely used for social gatherings, cafes offer more than just caffeine — they serve as go-to spots for meeting friends, blind dates, group studies and other social activities.
When the first Starbucks branch opened near Seoul’s Ewha Womans University in 1999, it marked the beginning of a local revolution in cafe culture. The American franchise now runs 1,900 of the country’s 100,000 cafes — which is roughly double the number of convenience stores.
