Two students on the Paejae High School baseball team in Seoul who sparked controversy over disparaging the May 18 pro-democracy uprising by chanting slogans such as "gotta go to Starbucks" against Gwangju Jeil High School have decided to halt their playing careers.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 25th, the two Paejae High students who led the chant recently told the school they would quit the baseball team.
On June 29 at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul during the 81st Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship, they chanted at Gwangju Jeil High School, "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go to Starbucks," and "tank day," among other slogans.
As criticism grew that the phrases evoked the past Starbucks "May 18 tank day" event controversy, a dispute over disparaging the region flared.
The Sports Fairness Committee of the Korea Baseball Softball Association handed Paejae High a six-month suspension from national tournaments on the 1st of last month. Afterward, all 36 members of the Paejae High baseball team visited Gwangju Jeil High School to apologize and paid their respects at the National May 18 Democratization Cemetery, and upon review the suspension was reduced to one month.
Paejae High also convened a student life committee and issued heavy disciplinary action to the two students who led the chants and light disciplinary action to 10 students who followed along.