People Power Party calls Baejae High baseball team's 6-month ban 'excessive'

Members of South Korea's People Power Party have strongly criticized the six-month national tournament suspension imposed on the Baejae High School baseball team, deeming the disciplinary action "excessive."

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This punishment could ruin their college entrance exams.

The team faced sanctions from the Korea Baseball Softball Association for chanting provocative slogans during a game against Gwangju Jeil High School. The chants included "Let's go to Starbucks, let's go" and "Tank Day," which evoked strong public backlash due to their perceived association with the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising, particularly a controversial Starbucks promotion that used the term '5.18 Tank Day'.

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This punishment is clearly excessive and violent.

Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member from Gwangju, argued that while the students' behavior was clearly wrong and against the spirit of sportsmanship, the penalty was too severe. "This punishment could ruin their college entrance exams," she stated during a party meeting, emphasizing the potential negative impact on the students' future academic and career paths. She called for a more balanced approach, noting that extreme and hateful expressions are wrong but should be addressed with proportionate measures.

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The disciplinary standards for disrupting stadium order are vague, and it is questionable whether this truly constitutes an insult to the 5.18 Democratic Uprising.

Other party members echoed this sentiment. Kim Jae-won, another Supreme Council member, described the suspension as "clearly excessive and violent," questioning the vague disciplinary standards for disrupting stadium order. He also criticized the government's strong reaction, suggesting it escalated the issue beyond proportion. The party's youth leader, Woo Jae-joon, added that young people are sensitive to perceived imbalances, especially when the government and ministers take strong stances that could lead to boycotts against companies.

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Young people are sensitive to the fact that the government and ministers are taking extreme stances, to the point of calling for boycotts against companies.