"If They Wear School Uniforms, They Might Be Targeted"...Paichai High School Ultimately Allows Students to Wear Casual Clothes

[Financial News] As controversy over some students' "regional disparagement cheers" at the National High School Baseball Tournament spread uncontrollably, the school took the unprecedented step of temporarily allowing students to wear casual clothes instead of school uniforms for their safety.
According to the education sector and parents at Paichai High School on the 3rd, the school in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, informed students that they may wear casual clothes to and from school for the time being instead of uniforms. The decision was a preemptive protective measure, made amid intensifying criticism of the school online and offline, out of concern that students in uniform could face unnecessary ridicule or even physical harm outside school.
The incident began during a game between Paichai High School and Gwangju Jeil High School at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul on the 29th of last month.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE)'s review, a second-year student identified as A from Paichai High School led the chant "We should go to Starbucks," which carried a derogatory message about the Gwangju region, and nearby students joined in. It was also revealed that student B later shouted "Tank Day," a slogan understood as mocking the 5·18 Democratic Uprising.
Coaches from the opposing team, Gwangju Jeil High School, recognized the insulting chants and immediately protested to the umpires. Paichai High School's coaching staff was informed of the complaint during a defensive switch, reprimanded the students on site, and later visited the Gwangju Jeil High School dugout after the game to offer an official apology. However, the controversy did not subside easily.
As the full details of the incident became known, public outrage grew, and tensions near the school reached a peak. Since the 1st, funeral wreaths criticizing the baseball team’s behavior and wreaths in support of the students have been delivered in front of the main gate of Paichai High School, prolonging the standoff. Gangdong-gu Office has begun removing the wreaths after complaints poured in over blocked passageways and concerns about students' emotional well-being.
One parent at Paichai High School said, "It is heartbreaking that because of the immature mistakes of a few students, all the other students who took pride in their school and attended diligently are now bowing their heads and being treated like wrongdoers."

The school recognized the seriousness of the situation and immediately began disciplinary procedures. According to materials submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) by the office of Rep. Gang Gyeong-suk of the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), a member of the National Assembly Education Committee, Paichai High School decided to refer the two students who led the inappropriate chant to its student life and guidance committee. It is also reviewing whether to impose additional discipline on other students who joined in and chanted along at the scene.
Initially, education authorities did not consider separate disciplinary action against the coaches, given that an apology was made immediately after the game. But as criticism grew over a lack of on-site supervision and guidance, disciplinary measures for sports coaches were also reportedly put on the table.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education sent an official notice to all elementary, middle, and high schools in the city that operate athletic teams, instructing them to ban hate and discriminatory language during tournaments and strengthen human rights education in sports. The office plans to conduct an on-site inspection of the schools concerned until August 17 to verify whether the relevant education has been carried out.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter