Paejae High School Faces Education Office Probe Over "Starbucks" Chant During Game Against Gwangju Jeil High School

▲ Paejae High School and Gwangju Jeil High School during their match

Student athletes from Paejae High School and the school itself are set to face an investigation by the education office after causing controversy by shouting a chant during a baseball game against Gwangju Jeil High School that was perceived as referencing the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated in an official release today (June 30) that "the relevant department will visit Paejae High School to comprehensively verify and inspect the circumstances of the incident, whether on-site intervention took place, the student athlete guidance process, and the school's follow-up measures and plans for recurrence prevention education."

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "Expressions that can be perceived as trivializing historical pain or mocking a specific region are educationally inappropriate and should never occur in student sports," adding, "We deeply apologize to the Gwangju Jeil High School baseball team, their parents, alumni, and the citizens of Gwangju."

However, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education emphasized, "Apart from educational measures, we must be cautious about the spread of personal attacks or excessive criticism against the students," and added, "We will ensure this matter is handled within the principles and procedures of education."

Furthermore, the office announced that it would strengthen education on "eradicating hate and discriminatory expressions in stadiums, respecting opposing teams and local communities, sportsmanship, human rights sensitivity, and historical awareness" for all schools in Seoul that operate athletic departments, not just Paejae High School.

Previously, some players from the Paejae High School baseball team shouted "Let's go to Starbucks" toward the opposing dugout during their game against Gwangju Jeil High School.

Gwangju Jeil High School filed a protest through the umpires, and the umpires issued a warning to the Paejae High School side.

(Photo: Captured from the Korea Baseball Softball Association website, Yonhap News)

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