Lee Soon-chul, Native of Gwangju: "Character Education Is Essential, Coaches Must Also Be Held Accountable"

[Anchor]

The baseball community has been left in shock following the recent controversy involving Baejae High School students mocking a specific region. Lee Soon-chul, an SBS baseball commentator and a star player originally from Gwangju, has urged his juniors to become athletes who understand the pain of history and the true meaning of sportsmanship.

Reporter Yu Deok-gi has the story.

[Reporter]

During the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980, many of Lee Soon-chul's acquaintances lost their lives. As a key player for the Haitai Tigers in the 1980s, Lee helped soothe the pain of Gwangju, and he finds the current situation deeply distressing.

[Lee Soon-chul/SBS Baseball Commentator: There were such significant historical events, and many people are still living with that pain today. We should be offering them comfort, not causing them further hurt.]

Lee was a third-year baseball player at Gwangju Commercial High School during the Gwangju Democratization Movement.

Although he played as a professional athlete for nearly 20 years afterward, he says he never once heard an opposing player on the field mock the Gwangju Democratization Movement.

[Lee Soon-chul/SBS Baseball Commentator: There were no such instances. It is truly regrettable that young athletes have come to think of the May 18 movement as something to be mocked and treat it so lightly.]

He also expressed regret over the culture of mocking opponents that has spread within student baseball.

[Lee Soon-chul/SBS Baseball Commentator: Baseball has many unwritten rules that emphasize respect for the opponent. I do not understand why they only seek to learn baseball skills without also learning about character and mutual respect.]

He also pointed out the responsibility of coaches who failed to immediately correct the students' inappropriate behavior.

[Lee Soon-chul/SBS Baseball Commentator: I believe coaches must deeply reflect on their failure to stop such behavior the moment it occurred. This applies to all other coaches as well.]

Lee expressed his hope that this incident would serve as an opportunity for student baseball in Korea to set itself on the right path.

[Lee Soon-chul/SBS Baseball Commentator: While they cannot know everything, I hope that student athletes will live their lives with a better awareness of how society works and what is right and wrong.]

Reported by Yu Deok-gi | Video by Lee Jae-sung
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.