▲ Lee Hyo-joon (standing), principal of Pai Chai High School, bursts into tears while reading a letter of apology at Gwangju Jeil High School in the southwestern city of Gwangju on July 6, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

police-baseball team

Police expected to drop insult case against high school baseball team

SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- Police said Monday they expect to drop a case against a Seoul high school baseball team over its alleged mockery of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement after its rival team in Gwangju expressed its wish to not seek punishment.

During a tournament game held in Seoul last month, members of Pai Chai High School's baseball team yelled, "Let's go to Starbucks!" and "Tank Day!" at their rivals from Gwangju Jeil High School in apparent reference to a controversial Starbucks Korea promotion that had been widely criticized and denounced for its trivialization of the brutal military crackdown on democracy activists in 1980.

A police complaint was filed against the Pai Chai baseball team on charges of insult.

"The victims at Gwangju Jeil High School have expressed their wish not to seek punishment," Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Park Jeong-bo said during a press briefing. "Insult is a crime that cannot be punished if the victim does not want punishment, so it appears that is how we will handle it."

Pai Chai baseball players and their parents visited Gwangju Jeil last week to apologize for the insensitive remarks. Students from both schools also visited the May 18th National Cemetery to pay their respects to those killed during the pro-democracy movement.

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