Paichai players say they didn't know 'Starbucks' chants were derogatory, statements show mixed awareness

Written statements submitted by players on the Paichai High School baseball team claim some did not know that chants mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement were hate speech.

Most of the team's 36 players said they did not realize chants such as "Starbucks" and "Tank Day" were used to disparage the democratization movement, according to documents submitted to the office of Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party by the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) on Wednesday.

They wrote that they had made the remarks without understanding their historical context but deeply regretted their actions.

"I was only trying to lift the team's spirits and I never intended to insult Gwangju," the player who led the "Let's go to Starbucks" chant wrote in a statement submitted the day after the game against Gwangju Jeil High School. "The controversy over the Starbucks in Gwangju suddenly came to mind, so I started the chant."

The student player said they realized they had made a mistake after the game and feels deeply guilty for the people of Gwangju and everyone at school.

The chants sparked controversy for referencing Starbucks Korea's recent "Tank Day" promotion. The promotional event coincided with the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and also drew criticism for using phrases that allegedly mocked the movement.

The player who shouted "Tank Day" also claimed not to have known the phrase was connected to the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

"I remembered the Starbucks 'Tank Day' promotion," the player said. "I didn't know it was related to May 18 [movement], and I didn't know what had happened involving Starbucks."

"I wasn't trying to insult or mock anyone," the player said. "I realize what I did was wrong, and I'm reflecting on it."

Some statements, however, suggest that several players were aware that the chants were derogatory.

"The chant 'Starbucks bang!' suddenly came up during the game, so I asked the others, 'Why are you suddenly talking about Starbucks?'" one player wrote. "Someone told me it was about the May 18 Gwangju uprising, so I thought we shouldn't be saying it."

Another student wrote that he tried to stop the other students from chanting.

Several statements also said taunts directed at a Gwangju Jeil High School pitcher after he slipped on the mound escalated tensions during the game.

"When the pitcher [from the Gwangju team] suddenly slipped, some of our players shouted, 'What's wrong with you?' one player wrote. "The coach from the Gwangju Jeil team came out of the dugout and said, ‘That's enough."

Another student’s statement corroborated the story.

"The opposing coach didn't say anything when we chanted 'Starbucks,'" another player wrote. "But after someone [from our team] shouted, 'What are you doing?' he yelled at us, 'Just cheer for your own team.'"

Several players also said Paichai High's taunting began early in the game.

"Our team mocked the other team several times early in the game, and the umpire warned us," one player wrote. "The opposing first-base coach also repeatedly told us to stop."

Another player recalled hearing "Let's go to Starbucks" in the second or third inning. Another said someone shouted "Tank Day" during the fourth inning while players were talking about Starbucks.

Following the controversy, Paichai High School has begun disciplinary proceedings against the two players who led the chants by referring them to its disciplinary committee.

Paichai High students and their principal visited Gwangju Jeil High on Monday to apologize. The following day, Gwangju Jeil High asked authorities to show leniency toward the Paichai players.

The KBSA had voted to suspend Paichai High School's baseball team from all national tournaments for six months, during its committee meeting on July 1.

Paichai High subsequently filed an appeal with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee on Wednesday.

Building students' sense of community is essential to preventing hate speech in sports, experts said.

"Schools have placed too much emphasis on performance, leaving some students with too little understanding of their community and historical context," said Lim Woon-taek, a sociology professor at Keimyung University. "Preventing this from happening again will require improvements throughout the education system. It's an issue that calls for reflection across our society."

BY OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]