About 80 students, parents and staff to visit Monday

Seoul education office to inspect all school sports teams

The Korea Baseball Softball Association handed Baejaego High School's baseball team a six-month competition ban after some players in the dugout chanted slogans mocking the May 18 pro-democracy movement during a game against Gwangju First High School at the Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship on June 29. A floral wreath sits at the entrance of Baejaego High School in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, on Friday. Photo by Lim Se-jun
The Korea Baseball Softball Association handed Baejaego High School's baseball team a six-month competition ban after some players in the dugout chanted slogans mocking the May 18 pro-democracy movement during a game against Gwangju First High School at the Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship on June 29. A floral wreath sits at the entrance of Baejaego High School in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, on Friday. Photo by Lim Se-jun

By Kim Yong-jae, The Herald Business

A delegation from Baejaego High School, including members of its baseball team, will travel to Gwangju First High School on Monday to deliver an in-person apology after some players sparked a nationwide controversy by chanting inappropriate slogans during a game.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, about 80 people — including Baejaego teachers, coaches, student athletes, parents and education office officials — will visit Gwangju First High School at 3 p.m. Monday to offer an apology and hold a reconciliation meeting. The group will then pay their respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Whether the education superintendents of the two cities will attend is still being discussed between the two offices.

The controversy erupted during the first round of the Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship on June 29, when some Baejaego students in the dugout chanted slogans including "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day" in the top of the eighth inning. Gwangju First High School lodged a formal protest, and the incident quickly spread into a national controversy.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association convened its sports fairness committee on July 1 and notified Baejaego of a six-month competition ban. The school may apply for a review within one week of receiving the notice; any such review will be conducted by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's sports fairness committee.

Baejaego suspended baseball team training immediately after the controversy broke and used the period of self-reflection to conduct human rights sensitivity and ethics education for the entire baseball team and all students.

The school posted a public apology on its website on June 30, and the alumni association followed with its own apology on July 2. The principals of both schools have spoken by phone to convey their regret and have been coordinating the schedule for the in-person apology visit to Gwangju.

Members of the Student-Parent-Teacher Human Rights Protection Alliance call on the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and politicians to take measures to protect students, at a press conference held in front of the National Human Rights Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Friday, demanding an end to what they described as collective pressure on Baejaego students and intimidation involving funeral wreaths. Photo by Lim Se-jun
Members of the Student-Parent-Teacher Human Rights Protection Alliance call on the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and politicians to take measures to protect students, at a press conference held in front of the National Human Rights Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Friday, demanding an end to what they described as collective pressure on Baejaego students and intimidation involving funeral wreaths. Photo by Lim Se-jun

The school has also taken steps to protect its students. It has asked police to help ensure student safety and plans to provide psychological counseling. Comments on the school's Instagram account have been blocked to shield students' personal information.

Educational measures are also under review. Baejaego plans to convene a student conduct committee, focusing first on the two students who led the chants. The committee is expected to meet after final exams, though a specific date has not yet been set.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education sent a physical education supervisor and two education officers to Baejaego on June 30 for an emergency guidance inspection and to verify the facts. The office also sent a circular to schools across the city calling for the elimination of discriminatory expressions during school sports activities and the promotion of a healthy cheering culture.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it will begin providing history education, human rights education, and anti-discrimination and anti-hate speech programs to all Baejaego students starting July 8.

In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will conduct guidance inspections of all school sports teams through Aug. 21, covering human rights education, the protection of students' right to learn, and transparent team management. Working with the School Sports Promotion Association, the office will also develop and distribute educational materials aimed at banning hateful and discriminatory expressions among student athletes and fostering a healthy cheering culture.


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