Specific penalties kept confidential

Baejae High School. [Yonhap]
Baejae High School. [Yonhap]

A Seoul high school has disciplined members of its baseball team for leading chants that mocked the May 18 Democratic Uprising during a national tournament game against a Gwangju school.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Baejae High School recently convened a student conduct committee and handed heavy disciplinary penalties to two students who led the "Let's go to Starbucks" chant at the 81st Cheongnonggi National High School Baseball Championship. Ten other students who joined in the chant received lighter penalties.

The education office said it could not disclose the specific penalties, citing privacy concerns for individual students.

The incident dates to June 29, when some Baejae High baseball players directed chants of "Gotta go, gotta go, Starbucks gotta go" and "Tank Day" at the Gwangju Ilgo dugout during the 81st Cheongnonggi National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League Championship, drawing widespread condemnation.

All 36 members of the Baejae High baseball team ultimately visited Gwangju Ilgo to apologize and paid their respects at the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery. Taking those steps into account, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's Sports Fair Play Commission later reduced the team's suspension from six months to one month.


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