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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Baejae High School baseball team challenges 6-month ban over Gwangju Uprising chant

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Baejae High School baseball team, suspended for six months for mocking the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, is seeking a court injunction to halt the suspension.
  • The team used a derogatory chant referencing the uprising during a recent baseball tournament.
  • While acknowledging the chant was inappropriate, the school argues the suspension is excessive and is also pursuing an appeal through the Sports Arbitration Committee.

The baseball team from Baejae High School in Seoul, which received a six-month suspension for using a derogatory chant mocking the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, is taking legal action to overturn the disciplinary measure. The team plans to file an application for an injunction with the court to suspend the effect of the disciplinary ruling.

The incident occurred during the recent Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship, where students from Baejae High School chanted "Let's go to Starbucks" towards their opponents, Gwangju Jeil High School. This chant was widely interpreted as a disrespectful reference to the Gwangju Uprising, a pivotal pro-democracy movement in South Korea's modern history that was brutally suppressed.

We plan to submit an application for an injunction to suspend the effect of the six-month suspension imposed by the Korea Baseball Softball Association to the court today.

— Baejae High School officialThe official informed Hankyoreh about the school's legal action against the disciplinary ruling.

Baejae High School acknowledges that the chant was inappropriate but contends that the six-month suspension imposed by the Korea Baseball Softball Association is excessive. The school is simultaneously pursuing an appeal process through the Korea Sports Arbitration Committee, with a hearing scheduled for June 20. The outcome of both the court's injunction and the arbitration committee's decision will determine whether the Baejae High School baseball team can participate in the upcoming Bonghwangdaegi National High School Baseball Tournament, scheduled to begin on August 6.

Following the incident, students from Baejae High School visited Gwangju Jeil High School to offer an apology and paid respects at the National 5·18 Cemetery. Representatives from Gwangju Jeil High School and the three official organizations related to the Gwangju Uprising, the bereaved families association, the injured association, and the contributors association, have requested reconsideration of the suspension, citing the Baejae students' sincere remorse and willingness to change.

Please generously consider the students' sincere reflection and willingness to change shown by the Baejae High School students.

— Gwangju Jeil High School and 5·18 organizationsThe groups requested leniency from the sports associations regarding the suspension of the Baejae High School baseball team.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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