[Anchor]

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has launched an investigation into the baseball team at Baejae High School. It has been confirmed that the office has received written statements from 35 team members. The students reportedly stated that they were not fully aware of the controversy surrounding Starbucks and followed along impulsively after one student started the chant.

Here is an exclusive report by Jo Yoon-ha.

[Reporter]

The investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education took place starting this morning.

An investigator visited Baejae High School in person to interview six individuals, including the vice principal, the head of the physical education department, the baseball team manager, and the head coach. The office also received written statements from 35 out of the 36 baseball team members, excluding one who was absent.

[Baejae High School Official: I understand that (the education office) heard from the students. Other than that, we have nothing to say.]

It has been confirmed that the school explained, "The baseball team members followed along impulsively after one student shouted a modified cheer, 'Let's go to Starbucks.'" The school added that the student who initiated the chant had no particular ill intent.

According to the school, one of the team members modified the usual cheer—"Let's go, let's go, hit a base hit and let's go"—during the top of the 8th inning, and the other members followed along without fully understanding the controversy surrounding Starbucks.

[Let's go, let's go. Let's go to Starbucks~]

Starbucks previously issued a public apology after engaging in inappropriate marketing that evoked the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and the late activist Park Jong-cheol.

Funeral wreaths were placed in front of Baejae High School, and it is reported that the school is considering having the baseball team members and their manager visit Gwangju Jeil High School to offer an apology.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to determine the level of disciplinary recommendations for school officials after investigating whether the inappropriate chant was stopped on-site and how the baseball team members were supervised.

The education office also announced that it would strengthen education on historical awareness and the eradication of hate and discriminatory expressions at sports venues for all schools in Seoul that operate athletic teams.

(Video by Park Hyun-cheol, Video Editing by Choi Hye-ran)