Paichai High School baseball players, who sparked controversy by shouting regionally disparaging chants during a game, decided to visit Gwangju Jeil High School in person to apologize.
According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 3rd, about 80 people, including Paichai High School baseball players, coaches, parents, and faculty, plan to visit Gwangju Jeil High School at 3 p.m. on the 6th.
Paichai High School said it would meet Gwangju Jeil High School's student players and coaches to apologize, then pay respects together at the National May 18th Democratic Cemetery.
Earlier, Principal Lee Hyo-jun of Paichai High School conveyed the intention to visit Gwangju Jeil High School through the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 1st. In response, Principal Lee Gyu-yeon of Gwangju Jeil High School said that, as it was exam period and students needed psychological stability, the school asked that the visit that day be reconsidered.
Afterward, Gwangju Jeil High School reportedly decided to accept the apology, considering that Paichai High School players need to reflect on the incident and make a fresh start.
The controversy erupted on the 29th of last month during a National High School Baseball Championship game at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul. At the time, Paichai High School baseball student players shouted chants toward Gwangju Jeil High School students—"gotta go to Starbucks," "tank day"—that evoked the controversy over Starbucks Korea's "May 18th tank day" event.
Criticism then mounted that the cheering mocked the May 18th Democratization Movement and disparaged a particular region.