KOR
Singer JK Kim Dong-wook is facing backlash after posting comments that appear to defend students from Baejae High School, who were recently embroiled in controversy for mocking Gwangju Jeil High School during a high school baseball game.
On June 30, JK Kim Dong-wook shared a news article titled, "Controversy over Baejae High School mocking Gwangju Jeil High School with 'Let's go to Starbucks' chants... Office of Education to investigate." He wrote, "They really got triggered, lol. Are they really blowing this out of proportion over a little incident that happened while the kids were playing baseball?" He added, "The atrocities of the far-left who coordinate these attacks. It is a trashy sentiment that needs to disappear."
The controversy began on June 29 during the 81st Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League King of Kings tournament, held at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
During the game, some student athletes from Baejae High School repeatedly shouted chants toward the Gwangju Jeil High School dugout, including "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day." Critics argued that these chants were mocking the Gwangju Uprising, referencing a recent marketing controversy involving Starbucks' "Tank Day" promotion.
Gwangju Jeil High School immediately protested to the umpires, who then issued a warning to the Baejae High School team. Baejae High School later issued an official apology on its website, stating, "We sincerely apologize for causing deep pain and disappointment to the Gwangju Jeil High School team, parents, alumni, and many others, including the citizens of Gwangju, due to the inappropriate cheering chants of some student athletes."
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also announced on June 30 that "the relevant department plans to visit the school to comprehensively check and inspect the circumstances of the incident, whether there was any intervention on the field, the guidance process for student athletes, and the school's follow-up measures and plans for recurrence prevention education."
Meanwhile, back in May, when the Starbucks Korea "Tank Day" marketing controversy first arose, JK Kim Dong-wook posted an image related to Starbucks on his social media, writing, "I don't even go there often, so why do you make me want to go?" This led to interpretations that he was publicly supporting Starbucks.
JK Kim Dong-wook is a Canadian singer active in the Korean music industry.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.