[Official Statement] Korea Fair Trade Commission to Review Baseball Association's "Go to Starbucks" Insult Controversy; Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to Take Follow-up Action

*This content was translated by AI.

The Baejae High School baseball team, which sparked controversy with a ceremony that disparaged a region, will be referred to the Korea Fair Trade Commission. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has also launched an investigation into the facts.

The Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) announced on the 30th that it will hold a Korea Fair Trade Commission meeting on July 1 to address the incident that occurred during the match between Gwangju Jeil High School and Baejae High School at the Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship.

This is to deliberate on disciplinary actions against the Baejae High School baseball team, which sparked controversy during the first round of the 81st Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship held at Seoul Mokdong Baseball Stadium on the 29th, by using regional disparaging cheer slogans such as "Go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day."

In this match, Baejae High School players chanted slogans such as "Go, go, go to Starbucks," and "Go, go, hit a hit and go" directed at Gwangju Jeil High School players. While some level of mocking the opposing team has been a common practice in high school baseball, the core issue was that this incident went beyond that level.

This is linked to the "Tank Day" event held by Starbucks Korea on the 18th, the anniversary of the the 18th Democratization Movement. Starbucks Korea promoted tumblers with slogans such as "Tank Day" and "Tap on the desk," but these phrases were found to mock the victims of the the 18th Democratization Movement, spreading as a social issue. Ultimately, the CEO of Starbucks Korea resigned, and Shinsegae Group Chairman Yong-jin Jeong also had to bow his head in apology.

However, Baejae High School players chanted these mocking slogans against Gwangju Jeil High School players, who are from Gwangju, the center of the the 18th Democratization Movement, further igniting the controversy.

As the game footage spread instantly online, public criticism against Baejae High School players and the coaching staff who failed to stop them spread like wildfire.

Gwangju Jeil High School visited the Korea Baseball and Softball Association to deliver a letter of protest, and Baejae High School also issued an apology statement to manage the situation. However, explanations that deviated from the facts and messages that seemed to shift blame onto specific players only fueled further outrage.

Ultimately, Baejae High School issued another apology statement on this day, stating, "We will ensure that such incidents do not recur by making the entire school community reflect and introspect, going beyond just guiding and disciplining the students." They added, "We are currently conducting an investigation and disciplinary procedures. We will faithfully cooperate with investigations by multiple institutional investors."

Separate from Baejae High School's apology, an investigation into the facts will be conducted by the association and the education office. The association stated, "We are currently comprehensively verifying the circumstances and statements to thoroughly investigate the facts. We plan to take necessary measures through a fair and strict procedure in accordance with relevant regulations."

Baejae High School is scheduled to play against Suncheon Hyochung High School at Seoul Sinwol Baseball Stadium at noon on the 2nd of next month. However, whether this match will proceed as planned is expected to depend on the outcome of this Korea Fair Trade Commission review.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also released its "Position on Hate and Discriminatory Expressions Occurring During the High School Baseball Championship" on this day.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "We are taking this matter very seriously. Expressions that could be perceived as trivializing historical pain or mocking a specific region are never educationally desirable and should not occur in the student sports field. We have immediately begun to verify the facts. The relevant department will visit Baejae High School to comprehensively check the circumstances of the incident, whether it was stopped on-site, the process of guiding student-athletes, the school's follow-up measures, and the reoccurrence prevention education plan. We will guide that necessary educational measures are carried out responsibly in accordance with procedures."

Furthermore, they added, "We will strengthen education on eradicating hate and discriminatory expressions within the stadium, respecting opposing teams and the local community, sportsmanship, human rights sensitivity, and historical awareness for all school sports teams under our jurisdiction. We will also re-examine the educational responsibilities and ethical standards that must be observed during the operation of school sports teams, not only for student-athletes but also for coaches and officials."

However, they cautioned, "While separate from responsible educational measures for wrongful behavior, we must be wary of the spread of personal attacks or excessive criticism against individual students." They also urged restraint against excessive defamation, stating, "The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will ensure that this matter is handled within the principles and procedures of education."

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*This content was translated by AI.