Two Paichai baseball players behind ‘Starbucks’ chant quit team

The two Paichai High School baseball players behind the controversial "Starbucks" chants have decided to quit the sport following intense public scrutiny over the team's chants mocking the country's democracy movement, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Tuesday.

“The school has confirmed that the two players told school officials they intend to quit baseball,” a municipal education official said.

On June 29, some players from the Seoul school repeatedly shouted "Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks!” in their game against Gwangju Jeil High School during the 81st Blue Dragon Flag National High School Baseball Championship held at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in western Seoul.

The chants refer to Starbucks Korea's controversial "Tank Day" promotion, which took place on May 18 this year. The promotion drew heavy criticism for allegedly mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, which was brutally suppressed in 1980 by the military regime then ruling Korea.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association’s committee imposed a six-month ban from national tournaments on Paichai on July 1. The penalty was later reduced to a one-month suspension after all 36 members of the school baseball team visited Gwangju Jeil High School to apologize in person and paid their respects at the May 18th National Cemetery.

Paichai also convened its student disciplinary committee and imposed heavy disciplinary measures on the two students who initiated the “Starbucks” chant. Ten other students who joined in received lighter disciplinary measures.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]