Starbucks Korea offers free 'dragon' drinks to early customers on Jan. 1

Koreans rushed to Starbucks on New Year's Day as the first 24 customers received free "dragon" drinks to celebrate 2024, the year of the dragon.

Left: Customers line up to get a free ″dragon″ drink in front of a Starbucks in Seoul. Right: Starbucks Korea's banner that offers a free drink and a sticker to 24 first customers to its each branch celebrating Korea's year of dragon in 2024. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Koreans flocked to Starbucks Monday morning to get their hands on one of the free "dragon" drinks that were being given out to the 24 first customers, in celebration of the New Year.

Customers shared images on social media of the long lines in front of Starbucks to get the free drinks.

"I mistakenly arrived at 7 o'clock, thinking the opening time was 8, and there were already eight people waiting," one post read on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"I succeeded getting a free Starbucks drink, though I didn't make it to see the sunrise on the first day of 2024," another post read.

Starbucks Korea held the event on Monday to celebrate the year of the dragon in 2024, giving out a free drink and a dragon sticker to the first 24 customers at all branches across the country.

Customers could choose one tall-sized drink from its two new items on the menu: Blue Dragon Classic Milk Tea and Blue Dragon Hazelnut Latte. Online orders were not eligible for the free drinks.

The lunar calendar categorizes the years using a 12-year zodiac cycle with corresponding animals — the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]