Singer JK Kim Dong-wook again defends Baejae High School amid 'Starbucks' chant controversy

Singer JK Kim Dong-wook has again voiced his support for Baejae High School's baseball team amid controversy over what critics called a mocking chant during a game.

On Thursday, Kim posted on his Instagram story: "Your administration will be shorter than your future. Baejae, let's go."

He added: "Unable to control inflation, real estate or the exchange rate — what remarkable competence. And their supporters, watching all this without a peep — so transparent. Yet they're up in arms over Baejae High School and the football association."

Kim had also weighed in on June 30, writing, "Clearly struck a nerve. You're going to blow up a little incident that happened while kids were playing baseball like this?" He called those who shared the school's contact information online "far-left thugs" and "garbage sentiment that should disappear."

The controversy stems from a game Monday at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul, where Baejae High School players in the dugout repeatedly shouted "Gaya ji, gaya ji, Starbucks gaya ji" ("Let's go, let's go, let's go to Starbucks") and "Tank Day" during the 81st Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship.

The chants drew criticism because they evoked a recent controversy in which Starbucks Korea was accused of mocking the May 18 pro-democracy movement and the torture death of activist Park Jong-cheol through a tumbler sales event on May 18 dubbed "Tank Day."

Baejae High School subsequently issued an apology, saying it was "sincerely sorry for the deep hurt and disappointment caused to the Gwangju Jeil High School players, their parents, alumni and the citizens of Gwangju by some student athletes' inappropriate chants."

Kim had earlier also publicly backed Starbucks over the May 18 Tank Day marketing controversy, posting: "I'll go if I want to go. The choice is free."

Kim is a Korean-Canadian who works in South Korea. He dropped out of high school in his second year and emigrated to Canada, where he obtained Canadian citizenship, exempting him from South Korea's mandatory military service. He does not hold voting rights in South Korea.

Swimming gold medalist Cho Hee-yeon, 43, who competed on the national team, has also drawn criticism for remarks seen as defending Baejae High School over the chanting incident.