Baejae High School has decided to forfeit all remaining games in the 81st Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship. It comes three days after the school stirred controversy with the chant "We should go to Starbucks" during a game against Gwangju Jeil High School on the 29th of last month.
According to Baejae High School and others on the 1st, the school decided not to participate in the remaining Cheongryonggi schedule, including the second round against Suncheon Hyocheon High School that was set to be held on the 2nd at Sinwol Baseball Stadium in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
The school said it had wrestled with whether to forfeit because the Cheongryonggi affects college admissions and professional signings for second- and third-year players, but decided to forfeit as a gesture of self-reflection given the seriousness of the matter.
During the first-round game against Gwangju Il High School at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 29th of last month, Baejae High School repeatedly shouted the chant "Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks" while leading 6-2 late in the game.
Gwangju Il High School protested, saying, "Why are you going to Starbucks? We've been holding back for a while," and the umpiring crew also warned Baejae High School. But the game broadcast video spread online, and criticism poured in over what was called "regional disparagement."
In response, Baejae High School issued an immediate apology, and the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) convened the Sports Fairness Committee to deliberate on whether to impose discipline and at what level. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also launched a separate investigation.