Paichai High School baseball team to appeal suspension over 'Let's go to Starbucks' chant
Paichai High School’s baseball team will seek to overturn a six-month suspension over chants tied to the May 18 Gwangju movement, as calls for leniency grow.
Paichai High School baseball players apologize to Gwangju Jeil High School players on July 6.YONHAP
Paichai High School's baseball team will file an appeal against a six-month competition ban imposed over chants during a game, criticized for mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.
The appeal will be submitted to the Korea Baseball Softball Association on Wednesday in the name of the team's head manager along with a petition signed by the Seoul high school's faculty members.
Appeals may be filed within seven days of the disciplinary decision being formally notified. Wednesday is the deadline for the high school's baseball team to request a review.
If the appeal is accepted, the baseball association's Sports Fairness Committee will begin its review process. A decision is expected to take more than two months.
The baseball association's Sports Fairness Committee imposed a six-month competition ban on Paichai High's baseball team on July 1 after the players came under fire for chanting "Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day" during an 81st Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship game against Gwangju Jeil High School on June 29.
The chants sparked controversy for referencing Starbucks Korea's recent "Tank Day" promotion. The promotional event coincided with the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and also drew criticism for using phrases that allegedly mocked the movement.
The ban has forfeited the team's remaining games in the national championship and barred the team from competing in next month's 54th Bonghwang National High School Baseball Tournament. Because the upcoming tournament does not require regional qualifying rounds and provides graduating players with a major opportunity to impress college recruiters, the suspension could hurt third-year students' college admissions prospects.
Paichai High School in eastern Seoul on July 7NEWS1
Paichai High has sought to make amends since the disciplinary decision.
On Monday, the school's baseball players, faculty and parents visited Gwangju Jeil High School to apologize in person and pay their respects at the May 18 National Cemetery.
Following the visit, Gwangju Jeil High called for leniency toward the Paichai High baseball team.
"I sincerely ask the Korea Baseball Softball Association and everyone involved in baseball to show leniency toward Paichai High," Lee Kyu-yeon, principal of the Gwangju school, said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The principal also emphasized Paichai High's efforts to apologize.
"Taking into account the forgiveness and reconciliation demonstrated by both schools, I hope administrative wisdom and authority can be brought together so that the Paichai High baseball players can make a fresh start on the field," Lee said. "I also hope the Paichai High students, faculty members, parents and alumni who visited Gwangju Jeil High yesterday to apologize and promise a new beginning can now put this burden behind them and quickly return to their daily lives."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
