Gwangju education chief visits school after discriminatory cheers

The new Superintendent of Education for Jeonnam-Gwangju, Kim Dae-jung, visited Gwangju Jeil High School on his first day in office to offer comfort to student athletes who were subjected to discriminatory and offensive cheers during a recent baseball game.

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I was surprised that inappropriate behavior had even infiltrated the student sports scene, which should be the most sacred.

During the game on June 29, players from Baejae High School reportedly used chants and gestures while in their dugout that were interpreted as mocking Gwangju Jeil High School athletes. The chants included phrases like "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day," which have drawn criticism for referencing a controversial promotional event by Starbucks on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising and its association with tanks used during the military crackdown.

Superintendent Kim expressed his dismay at the infiltration of inappropriate behavior into the sacred arena of student sports. He urged school officials to handle the situation wisely from an educational perspective, focusing on the recovery and growth of the students involved.

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I hope this incident becomes an opportunity to wisely resolve this educationally and focus on the students' recovery and growth.

Kim also stated his hope that this incident would serve as a turning point to strengthen democratic citizenship education and proper history education for all student athletes nationwide, not just those from Baejae High School. He mentioned speaking with the Superintendent of Seoul's education office, who also conveyed apologies and a commitment to enhancing democratic citizenship education.

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I hope this becomes an opportunity to further strengthen democratic citizenship education and proper history education for all student athletes nationwide.

Addressing the Gwangju Jeil High School athletes directly, Kim encouraged them not to be swayed by the incident but to continue growing into excellent sports talents based on mutual respect and community spirit.

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Superintendent Jeong also conveyed his apologies to you students and expressed his intention to further strengthen democratic citizenship education, learning from this incident.