Seoul education office to introduce civic course to curriculum after Paichai Starbucks chant controversy

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to introduce a civic education course to the regular curriculum after members of Paichai High School’s baseball team allegedly mocked the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, sparking controversy.

The initiative aims to help students develop comprehensive civic knowledge through classroom discussions and other interactive learning methods.

The Seoul education office previously offered civic education through one-off events and extracurricular programs.

But due to the nationwide backlash over Paichai’s chants — widely interpreted as mocking the pro-democracy uprising — against Gwangju Jeil High School, the Seoul education office has moved to develop a superintendent-approved course tentatively titled “Democratic Citizenship Through Coexistence and Communication” (translated), according to education officials on Tuesday.

Superintendent-approved subjects are nonmandatory electives created with a provincial or metropolitan superintendent’s approval to meet academic and career needs beyond those specified in the curriculum.

Such courses are typically introduced to a school’s curriculum at the school’s request. Following the most recent controversy, however, the education office has decided to develop the civic course.

The decision is also a response to growing criticism that one-time special lessons or lectures are insufficient to foster students’ civic knowledge, as demonstrated by the Paichai case.

The controversy began during the 81st Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship on June 29, when members of Paichai High School’s baseball team chanted slogans such as “Let’s go to Starbucks!” and “Tank day!” toward their opponents from Gwangju Jeil High School.

The chants seemed to reference Starbucks Korea’s earlier “Tank Day” controversy, in which people accused the company of mocking the pro-democracy movement in its marketing campaign.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association initially suspended Paichai’s baseball team from national competitions for six months, then reduced the punishment to one month after a review.

The Seoul education office had begun to consider adding a civics course to the regular curriculum earlier this year and accelerated the project after the controversy erupted.

The course will be offered as a stand-alone subject rather than being incorporated as a unit within social studies or other existing subjects.

The course’s curriculum is expected to place a strong emphasis on history and constitutional education, which Seoul Superintendent Jung Geun-sik has advocated for in the past. The course will also prioritize education that prevents discrimination and hate — issues that have become increasingly pressing in Korean society.

The course structure and related details will be finalized after the office consults experts during the research portion of the development process.

The education office plans to first develop a textbook for high school students before expanding the program to middle and elementary schools. Once the course is officially approved, the textbook will be written next year, with its distribution to schools in Seoul targeted for as early as the 2028 academic year.

Some schools may also designate the course as a common elective — a class that a student is required to take alongside the mandatory common curriculum — under Korea’s high school credit system.

First introduced in 2025, the high school credit system allows students to choose courses based on their interests and career goals. They become eligible for graduation once they have accumulated the required number of credits.

The education office also said that it would apply rigorous evaluation standards when reviewing research proposals for the course to prevent issues related to political neutrality or ideological bias.

“Even when controversial issues arise in schools, we will explore a wide range of content and teaching methods that reduce teachers’ burden while helping students develop the civic competencies needed to respect others and resolve problems on their own,” an official from the education office said.

BY LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]