Outrage over racist gesture abroad, mockery of Gwangju massacre at home

A Korean YouTuber's experience of racial discrimination during last month's North America-Caribbean World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic sparked widespread outrage among sports fans.

A Mexican man was caught on camera pulling his eyes back with both index fingers — a gesture known as the "slanted-eye" taunt, widely recognized as a racist act targeting people of Asian descent.

The incident drew condemnation at home and abroad. FIFA identified the man and banned him from entering stadiums. "We strongly condemn all forms of racism, hatred and discrimination," FIFA said. "Such behavior has no place in football, the World Cup or society."

The man was president of the Civil, Topographic, Geometric and Engineering Association of Jalisco (CITGEJ) in Mexico and subsequently resigned from the post. In a public apology, he said he was "sincerely sorry for everything that has happened as a result of this incident," adding: "I will not justify my actions. I acknowledge the discomfort this has caused and want to make a clear and heartfelt apology."

Baseball players from Baejae High School have drawn shock after mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising during a game against Gwangju Jeil High School at the Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship. During the Sunday game, the players performed a group chant of "Let's go to Starbucks" and used the phrase "Tank Day" — widely interpreted as a deliberate jab at Gwangju. The chants appear to reference a controversy in which Starbucks became embroiled in a backlash over a "Tank Day" promotional event seen as ridiculing the May 18 uprising; the players' chant was read as mocking the ensuing boycott by flaunting their Starbucks purchases.

The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising was a civic resistance movement in which Gwangju residents rose up against Chun Doo-hwan and the new military junta after they seized power through an insurrection. Critics say the mockery of a tragedy in which many civilians lost their lives reflects how far-right sentiment spreading among teenagers has eroded basic human decency. Others have pointed to the irony of using the freedom of expression won through the democracy movement to ridicule that very movement — a sign, they say, of profound ignorance and a lack of basic historical knowledge. The open and shameless display of regional hatred and discrimination in a public setting has also shocked many observers. The coaches and other adults present who failed to stop the behavior have also faced sharp criticism.

Baejae High School issued an apology and pledged follow-up measures, also conveying its wish to visit Gwangju Jeil High School in person to apologize. The school is even considering forfeiting its remaining games as a gesture of remorse.

Some have argued that the reaction is excessive for what was a momentary lapse in judgment by young students. Yet as the case of the Mexican man who made the racist gesture shows, countries with strong anti-discrimination frameworks strictly regulate hate and discrimination based on gender, race and region — and move swiftly to ensure perpetrators face real consequences.

In 2021, for instance, three youth players from Portsmouth in England were immediately released after private messages in which they mocked Black players on the England national team were leaked.

That same year, at a California high school basketball tournament, players from a predominantly white championship team threw tortillas — a Mexican flatbread — at a rival team with a large Latino population. The California Interscholastic Federation ruled the act racially discriminatory and stripped the team of its title.

Spectators are held to the same standard as players. FIFA fined El Salvador $62,715 and ordered 15 percent of the seating capacity closed for the country's next home game after fans made monkey noises at Suriname players during a World Cup qualifier on Sept. 8 last year. FIFA also opened disciplinary proceedings against the Royal Spanish Football Federation over Islamophobic chants at a Spain-Egypt friendly on March 31.

Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin said in a Facebook post Wednesday that "athletes who lack character and human rights awareness, or who stir social conflict through a distorted understanding of history, fall short of what is required of elite athletes."

"Prohibiting regional slurs, racial discrimination and hate speech in sports, and responding to such matters with severity, is essential because they undermine the spirit of fair competition that defines sport," Choi said. "At the heart of why people are passionate about and moved by sports lies the value of fairness."

Choi said adults, including coaches, bear significant responsibility when students who should be learning love, solidarity, respect and consideration instead use the language of hatred, mockery and discrimination without a second thought. "Teaching is not simply the transfer of knowledge and skills — it is a continuous process of helping people understand the manners and attitudes that define us as human beings," he said.