Students behind Gwangju Uprising chants quit baseball

Two students from Baejae High School, who were at the center of a controversy for allegedly disparaging the May 18th Gwangju Uprising with their chants, have decided to end their baseball careers. The students informed the school of their decision to leave the baseball team recently, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

During a baseball game on June 29th, the students reportedly led chants directed at Gwangju Jeil High School, including phrases like "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day." These chants were widely criticized for being a disrespectful reference to the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a significant event in South Korea's democratization movement.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association initially suspended Baejae High School from national competitions for six months. However, following an apology from all 36 members of the Baejae High baseball team to Gwangju Jeil High and a visit to the May 18th National Cemetery, the suspension was reduced to one month.

Baejae High's student disciplinary committee imposed severe penalties on the two students who initiated the chants and lighter penalties on ten others who followed. The two students who led the chants subsequently chose to cease their participation in baseball activities.