▲ Members of the Sports Fair Committee of the Korea Baseball Softball Association deliberate on disciplinary action against the Paejae High School baseball team at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on July 1.
The Paejae High School baseball team has been suspended from national competitions for six months after mocking players from Gwangju Jeil High School with derogatory cheers referencing Starbucks during the Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship.
The Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) held an emergency Sports Fair Committee meeting today (July 1) at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, to deliberate on the inappropriate cheering slogans used by the Paejae High School team.
During the 81st Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League King of Kings Tournament held at Mokdong Baseball Stadium on June 29, some student athletes from Paejae High School shouted, "You should go to Starbucks," toward the opposing dugout.
The slogan sparked significant controversy as it was interpreted as a mocking reference to the recent controversy surrounding a Starbucks Korea promotional event, which was linked to the May 18 Democratization Movement.
Five out of seven committee members attended the meeting, with four participating in the final decision. The head coaches of both Gwangju Jeil High School and Paejae High School, as well as the umpire from the match, were present to provide statements on the situation.
After verifying the facts and reviewing the statements, the KBSA Sports Fair Committee concluded that the incident violated the spirit of sportsmanship and disrupted order at the stadium. Consequently, the committee imposed a six-month suspension from all national competitions on the Paejae High School team.
The disciplinary action takes effect immediately, starting with the second round of the Blue Dragon tournament on July 2.
Paejae High School will be recorded as having forfeited the match.
A KBSA official explained during a briefing, "The committee members reached a consensus to impose disciplinary action based on 'disruption of stadium order,' reviewing both the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee’s fair committee regulations and our own. After discussing various options, we decided to apply the 'game interference' clause to the team as a whole rather than targeting individuals."
Separately from the team-wide penalty, the committee determined that further deliberation is required regarding disciplinary actions for individual coaches and players. They plan to conduct a thorough investigation during the suspension period to identify specific individuals and hold another committee meeting to decide the level of punishment.
As broadcast footage of the incident has already spread rapidly, identifying the individuals involved is not expected to be difficult.
Taking the gravity of the situation seriously, the KBSA has decided to implement follow-up measures and institutional improvements to eradicate inappropriate cheering culture and prevent recurrence, in addition to the committee's disciplinary actions.
First, starting with all tournaments held after today, it will be mandatory to provide prior notice prohibiting inappropriate cheering during the home plate meeting between coaches before the start of each game.
Furthermore, the association plans to revise tournament regulations to ensure stricter responses to similar incidents in the future, including the addition of a clause for aggravated punishment in cases where actions "cause significant social or economic harm to individuals or groups."
Beyond short-term measures, the KBSA intends to consult with relevant government bodies, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to develop educational programs aimed at fostering proper historical awareness and social sensitivity among coaches and student athletes.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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