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Pai Chai Baseball Suspended After Chants Mocking Gwangju, Apology Visit Set

The chants referenced a controversial Starbucks May 18 promotion tied to the 1980 Gwangju uprising, prompting sanctions, a planned reconciliation visit, a police probe over an online bomb threat.

Funeral wreaths criticizing recent trash talk by some baseball players of Seoul's Pai Chai High School are placed in front of the school on July 1, 2026. (Yonhap)
This undated image, captured from the website of the Korea Baseball Softball Association, shows a baseball tournament game between Pai Chai High School in Seoul and Gwangju Jeil High School. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Overview

  • Some Pai Chai players yelled phrases including “Let’s go to Starbucks” and “Tank Day” toward Gwangju Jeil during a game on Monday, June 29, behavior widely interpreted as mocking the May 18, 1980 Gwangju uprising.
  • The Korea Baseball Softball Association imposed an immediate six-month suspension on Pai Chai’s baseball team and the school has halted team activities while carrying out human-rights and ethics education.
  • An 80-member Pai Chai delegation of players, school officials, teachers and parents is due to visit Gwangju Jeil High School and the May 18 National Cemetery on Monday to apologize and join reconciliation programs.
  • Police and fire crews searched Gwangju Jeil after an online post claimed a bomb had been planted, found no device, and the national police have opened an active investigation to identify the poster.
  • The sanctions and public backlash have raised questions about consequences for student athletes, including lost chances for seniors in pro drafts, and Seoul education officials say they will expand human-rights education to prevent similar incidents.