Baekjae High School baseball students disciplined over 'Starbucks' chant

Two Baekjae High School baseball players shouted the chant “Starbucks 가야지” and “Tank Day” toward Gwangju Jeil High School during the 81st Cheongryonggi national high‑school baseball tournament, invoking the 5·18 democratization movement in a manner deemed disrespectful. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education imposed a medium‑level disciplinary sanction on the two students, while ten teammates who echoed the chant received lighter penalties. Baekjae High School apologized, visited the National 5·18 Memorial Cemetery, and the Korean Baseball Softball Association reduced an initially proposed six‑month competition ban to a one‑month suspension.

The incident highlights heightened sensitivity to historical references in school sports events and the role of education authorities in enforcing respectful conduct.