Lee Jun-seok, Han Dong-hoon call Baejae High baseball ban 'excessive' as Starbucks chant controversy grows

Political controversy over the punishment of Baejae High School's baseball team is intensifying, with critics in the opposition calling the Korea Baseball Softball Association's six-month competition ban excessive.

Conservative civic groups have been filing a series of complaints against the Korea Baseball Softball Association, according to political circles Friday. Groups including the People's Livelihood Countermeasures Committee and the Free Korea Patriot Corps urged authorities to punish the association on charges of coercion and obstruction of business.

People Power Party figures also voiced criticism of the association's disciplinary action. PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik wrote on Facebook that competing in national tournaments is tied to college admissions and the entire career arc of young athletes. "Not all of the Baejae players did anything wrong — many did not join in the taunting — yet the entire baseball team has been handed a six-month ban, which is excessive," he said.

PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won shared a related news article on Facebook and wrote, "First you took away their freedom to go to Starbucks, and now you're taking away the children's dreams." She questioned whether the punishment was justified, adding, "This is the shameful face of South Korea under the Lee Jae Myung administration. It is deplorable."

PPP lawmaker Kim Jae-seop also posted on Facebook, criticizing what he described as a political pile-on. "Until recently, the president led the entire government in attacking Starbucks. Now the education minister and politicians are all rushing out together to witch-hunt the Baejae players," he wrote.

Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok linked the incident to broader political behavior. He said the public had recently watched an arrogant Seoul mayoral candidate beat his sunbae, beat police officers and beat citizens who tried to intervene — all while invoking the May 18 uprising as an excuse. "Now we see the president pushing someone who commemorated the May 18 eve ceremony in an energetic fashion on a new millennium NHK broadcast as party leader," Lee said. "I suppose those kinds of scenes made students take May 18 lightly."

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also weighed in on Facebook, acknowledging that using the May 18 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising as material to taunt an opposing team during a high school baseball game was wrong. "However, handing young students a six-month competition ban is excessive," he added.

The controversy began June 29, when some student players on the Baejae High School baseball team shouted "Let's go to Starbucks" toward the opposing dugout during a game against Gwangju Ilgo at Seoul's Mokdong Baseball Stadium, as part of the 81st Cheongrong Flag National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League Championship. The chant was widely seen as a mocking reference to the controversy last month over Starbucks Korea's so-called "May 18 Tank Day" promotional event.