The Paichai High School baseball team, which sparked national outrage by mocking the May 18 Democratic Movement during a high school baseball tournament, will visit Gwangju to offer an official apology. The Seoul Education Office held an emergency briefing to announce the results of a thorough investigation and the schedule for the team's visit.
On July 3, the education office provided details regarding the Paichai High situation, outlining future responses and actions taken by the school.
According to the education office, a large delegation consisting of the Paichai High principal, coaches, student athletes, parents, and education officials—approximately 80 people—will visit Gwangju Jeil High School (Gwangju Ilgo) at 3 p.m. on July 6. The group will engage in a reconciliation meeting at Gwangju Ilgo before visiting the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery at 4 p.m. to pay their respects.
This visit was confirmed after multiple discussions between the principals of both schools and the education superintendents of the respective regions, with arrangements for their attendance still being finalized.
Earlier, during the first round of the Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship on June 29, some Paichai High students shouted slogans mocking Gwangju Ilgo, including "Starbucks, let's go" and "Tank Day," drawing severe criticism.
Recognizing the seriousness of the incident, the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) held a Sports Fairness Committee meeting on July 1 and imposed a six-month suspension on the Paichai High baseball team. Prior to the decision, the school had already communicated its intent to forfeit the remaining games of the Cheongryonggi tournament and has since suspended all baseball training while conducting self-reflection and ethics education.
The two main students who initiated the slogans, along with those who supported them, will face disciplinary measures from the school's internal education committee after final exams conclude.
In light of the incident, Paichai High has blocked comments on its official social media to prevent further harassment and has requested police assistance for student safety, alongside providing psychological counseling for the baseball team.
The Seoul Education Office is also taking swift action to manage the situation and prevent future occurrences. Following an emergency guidance session on June 30, the office will intensively support history and human rights education, as well as training to prevent discrimination and hate speech for all Paichai High students starting August 8.
Furthermore, the education office plans to use this incident as a lesson and will conduct extensive field guidance and special inspections on human rights education, learning rights protection, and transparent operations for all school sports teams in the area by August 21.
Additionally, the Korea Sports Council and the Baseball Softball Association have been formally requested to implement measures prohibiting discrimination and hate speech within sports venues, and educational materials promoting a healthy cheering culture for student athletes will be developed and distributed nationwide in collaboration with the School Sports Promotion Association.
On July 3, the education office provided details regarding the Paichai High situation, outlining future responses and actions taken by the school.
According to the education office, a large delegation consisting of the Paichai High principal, coaches, student athletes, parents, and education officials—approximately 80 people—will visit Gwangju Jeil High School (Gwangju Ilgo) at 3 p.m. on July 6. The group will engage in a reconciliation meeting at Gwangju Ilgo before visiting the National May 18 Democratic Cemetery at 4 p.m. to pay their respects.
This visit was confirmed after multiple discussions between the principals of both schools and the education superintendents of the respective regions, with arrangements for their attendance still being finalized.
Earlier, during the first round of the Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship on June 29, some Paichai High students shouted slogans mocking Gwangju Ilgo, including "Starbucks, let's go" and "Tank Day," drawing severe criticism.
Recognizing the seriousness of the incident, the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) held a Sports Fairness Committee meeting on July 1 and imposed a six-month suspension on the Paichai High baseball team. Prior to the decision, the school had already communicated its intent to forfeit the remaining games of the Cheongryonggi tournament and has since suspended all baseball training while conducting self-reflection and ethics education.
The two main students who initiated the slogans, along with those who supported them, will face disciplinary measures from the school's internal education committee after final exams conclude.
In light of the incident, Paichai High has blocked comments on its official social media to prevent further harassment and has requested police assistance for student safety, alongside providing psychological counseling for the baseball team.
The Seoul Education Office is also taking swift action to manage the situation and prevent future occurrences. Following an emergency guidance session on June 30, the office will intensively support history and human rights education, as well as training to prevent discrimination and hate speech for all Paichai High students starting August 8.
Furthermore, the education office plans to use this incident as a lesson and will conduct extensive field guidance and special inspections on human rights education, learning rights protection, and transparent operations for all school sports teams in the area by August 21.
Additionally, the Korea Sports Council and the Baseball Softball Association have been formally requested to implement measures prohibiting discrimination and hate speech within sports venues, and educational materials promoting a healthy cheering culture for student athletes will be developed and distributed nationwide in collaboration with the School Sports Promotion Association.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.