KB News DeskHigh school heckle revives controversy over regional hatred, efforts focused on students raise broader questions
A chant of “I’ll go to Starbucks” during a livestreamed high school baseball game has triggered renewed criticism over far-right memes mocking the victims of South Korea’s 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising.
The chant echoed controversy surrounding Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” promotion earlier this year, which prompted a public apology after drawing nationwide backlash.
Paichai High School has since apologized, and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education opened an investigation. Yet criticism has grown as online users claimed similar chants had been directed at other schools from Gwangju.
“I’ll go to Starbucks”
The chant came from the dugout of Seoul’s Paichai High School during its game against Gwangju Jeil High School in the 81st Blue Dragon Championship, one of South Korea’s most prestigious high school baseball tournaments.
During the top of the eighth inning, Paichai players repeatedly chanted, “I’ll go, I’ll go to Starbucks,” while moving in unison. The game was briefly halted after coaches from Gwangju Jeil High School protested. Broadcast footage also captured someone shouting “Tank Day.”
The chant appeared to refer to Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” promotion, which sparked nationwide outrage in May after critics accused the company of disrespecting victims of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising.
The promotion was launched on May 18, the anniversary of the uprising, during which military special forces, backed by tanks, violently suppressed demonstrators. The government recognizes at least 162 civilian deaths, although some estimates are higher.
Following widespread criticism, Starbucks Korea and Starbucks headquarters in the US apologized. Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin also issued an apology, and Starbucks Korea later designated a company-wide history education day for employees.
The baseball incident has revived the controversy, this time with criticism directed at how a far-right meme entered a high school sports setting.
Gwangju Jeil High School, whose students participated in the 1980 uprising, submitted an official letter of protest Tuesday to the Korea Baseball Softball Association, calling for a thorough investigation and disciplinary action.
“It cannot be overlooked that players insulted an entire region and inflicted emotional harm on their opponents, especially considering the educational purpose of high school sports,” principal Lee Kyu-yeon told local media.
“We urge the association to conduct a thorough investigation, take strict action against those responsible, and establish effective measures to prevent discriminatory and hateful conduct.”
From online meme to school sports
The incident has renewed concerns that hostility toward Gwangju and the wider Jeolla region, once largely confined to far-right online communities, is increasingly spilling into offline spaces and being consumed as humor among some younger South Koreans.
For years, internet users have circulated memes portraying the region as a separate country that requires a passport to visit. Others have used “hongeo,” a fermented skate dish associated with Jeolla Province, as a derogatory shorthand to mock people from the region.
Park Gu-yong, a philosophy professor at Chonnam National University, said the phenomenon reflects how decades of regional prejudice have become normalized among younger generations.
“Gwangju and the Jeolla region have long been easy targets of discrimination,” Park said. “For some young people, that prejudice has become something to consume as entertainment, without any sense of guilt.”
Park argued that the trend is driven not only by historical prejudice but also by broader social anxiety.
“Some people seek hatred as a way to cope with insecurity and anxiety, while Korean society offers few opportunities for young people to overcome those feelings through healthy collective experiences,” he said. “As that anxiety gathers in online communities, hatred itself becomes a form of entertainment by finding an easy target.”
Who bears responsibility?
The incident has also raised broader questions over whether responsibility lies solely with the students or extends to coaches, schools and the adults who failed to stop such behavior.
Both the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and Paichai High School responded by launching investigations and pledging to strengthen human rights and sportsmanship education for student athletes.
The office also urged the public not to direct excessive criticism toward individual students after personal information about some players began circulating online.
Meanwhile, the school’s response has done little to quell criticism.
Some online users questioned the sincerity of its apology, with others alleging it had been generated using artificial intelligence. Others criticized coaches for failing to stop the chanting immediately during the game and questioned the school’s description of those involved as “some players.”
Critics argue the incident reflects a broader lack of historical awareness among educators and adults, rather than simply the misconduct of a handful of students.
Experts say the incident reflects social problems that cannot be solved through disciplinary action alone.
Park expressed skepticism that strengthening classroom education alone would prevent similar incidents.
“Unless we address the anxiety and isolation that drive young people into online communities where such hate speech circulates, this kind of behavior will not disappear simply by revising the curriculum,” he said. “What students need is a place where they can openly share their concerns and work through them together.”
