Baekje High School 'Let's Go Starbucks' Controversy.. Heo Ji-woong: "May Gwangju Still a Mocking Target" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

While Baekje High School baseball players who chanted a slogan reminiscent of the Starbucks 'the 18th Tank Day' controversy are under fire, writer and broadcaster Heo Ji-woong has shared his thoughts on the current situation.

On the 1st, Heo Ji-woong began on his Instagram: "I was in Jungheung-dong, Gwangju in May 1980. I was a six-month-old baby. Later, I fled Gwangju like a runaway. I lived in Banpo-dong, Seoul, and moved to Ochi-dong, Gwangju in my first year of high school. It was a return to my hometown, but I was an outsider. What I first felt there was powerlessness."

He continued, "During the two and a half years I stayed there, I found no pride or vitality. On a cold day when I took the CSAT, the Kim Dae-jung administration was born. In the same year, inside a Kumho Bus leaving Gwangju, I first saw things outside the window that could be called hope. Vitality, that is."

He added, "But in the end, nothing changed. Under the banner of unity, victims had to bow even lower. Forced reconciliation worked that way. The Gwangju incident was confusingly renamed Gwangju massacre, Gwangju uprising, Gwangju democratization movement." He stated, "I understand that people who lived through that era use these terms interchangeably. Gwangju has always been a pickled radish. Derogatory terms and insults were daily life. It was never officially recognized as a victim. Since the time and space each side lived through were different, it is natural that the language used to describe them differs."

Heo Ji-woong said, "What Gwangju needs is not pity, sympathy, or support. It is consent. It is recognition as equal citizens." He added, "May Gwangju and Jeolla-do are still a laughingstock. Children who do not know history consume it as a meme. If you try to stop them, they see it as suppression. Even without context, Gwangju is seen as a natural underdog."

He further pointed out, "There is no responsibility attached to mocking Gwangju. There is also sarcasm: 'You've endured it for so long, so you can endure it again, but what will you do if you don't endure it?' For a long time, Gwangju was either a slogan or a mockery. It was never equal."

Meanwhile, earlier, some students and players from Baekje High School's baseball team caused controversy by chanting "Let's Go Starbucks" toward the opposing dugout during a match against Gwangju Jeil High School at the 81st Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League King of Kings tournament held at Mokdong Stadium, Seoul, on the 29th of last month.

In response, Gwangju Jeil High School lodged a protest through the umpires, and the umpires warned the Baekje High School side. Baekje High School released an apology statement, and it is reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is conducting an investigation, while the Korea Baseball and Softball Association is considering disciplinary action.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.