Starbucks Korea said Monday it will expand its free coffee delivery it started in mid-February for workers at the disease control center hotline 1339 to the end of this month.

According to the coffee chain, it has been providing 500 cups of coffee every day since Feb. 17 to three 1339 call centers, two operated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul and Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and one operated in cooperation by National Health Insurance Service.

On the weekends, they provided the call centers with instant coffee product Via and muffins.

Along with extending the service period to the end of this month, the company said it will add more 1339 hotline centers across the country for its coffee donation, including the ones in Busan and Wonju, starting from Monday.

The company said the coffee is prepared by its 17,000 partners, and the number of cups the coffee chain would be delivering in the six weeks from Feb. 17 to the end of March would also be around 17,000.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)