Baekjae High School baseball team seeks leniency as disciplinary review approaches

Baekjae High School’s baseball team was handed a six‑month ban from national competition after players shouted regional slurs and slogans that disparaged the 5·18 democratic movement during a match against Gwangju Il High School. The team later visited the National 5·18 Memorial, offered a public apology and, together with parents and staff, asked for clemency.

Three 5·18 victim‑family groups and the 5·18 Memorial Foundation issued a joint statement urging the Korean Sports Council’s Sports Fairness Committee to consider the team’s “sincere reflection and change” and to allow participation in the upcoming 54th Bonghwangdae National High School Baseball Tournament. A disciplinary‑review hearing is set for 20 May at the Olympic Hall in Songpa‑gu, Seoul.

The groups emphasized that “the core of the 5·18 spirit is inclusion, not exclusion,” and called for a “wise decision” that balances accountability with forgiveness.