Floral wreaths outside school to continue being removed
Office not considering calls from political circles to show restraint
By Kim Yong-jae, The Herald Business
Nearly 1,000 complaints have been filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education amid the widening controversy over the Baejaego baseball team's so-called "Starbucks cheer," as the dispute spills into political and civic circles.
The education office disclosed the figure Thursday afternoon at a background briefing on the Baejaego baseball team held at its briefing room in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
"The number of complaints received stands at 956 as of this morning," an education office official said, drawing a line against taking sides. "Many of the complaints want us to side with one party or the other, but that is not our position." The official added that the office's focus, from start to finish, is on determining what measures are best for the students — how to protect them and how to educate them.
The controversy erupted June 29 during a Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship game between Baejaego and Gwangju Jeil High School, when some students in the Baejaego dugout chanted phrases including "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day." The chants drew widespread criticism for mocking the May 18 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising, and the backlash quickly spread nationwide.
After the incident became public, floral wreaths — some critical of the school, others expressing support for the students — began appearing outside Baejaego. "My understanding is that the school and Gangdong-gu Office coordinated extensively on the wreaths," the official said. "They were removed all at once because they were seen as harmful to the students, and I understand that deliveries are still being turned away."
Asked whether the education office planned to call on political figures and outside parties to refrain from weighing in, the official said, "There may be action when the right moment comes, but we are not considering it at this time."
On whether the students' expressions of remorse were genuine, the official said the office did not believe they were acting under pressure. "The students are probably anxious about the possibility of losing the baseball they have worked so hard at," the official said. "Based on what the school has gathered, the students appear to recognize that they did something wrong."
The education office said the matter should not be resolved through student disciplinary action alone, but through student protection and preventive education. "We do not think educating the students will be without effect," an official said. "We believe in their potential for growth and trust that they can learn something greater from this."
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