The Paichai High School baseball team has been suspended from national tournament play for six months following a chant that evoked the Starbucks Korea controversy, according to the Korea Baseball Association (KBA) on July 1, 2026.
The incident occurred during a game against a Gwangju school, where players chanted 'Tank Day,' a term associated with a 2025 boycott of Starbucks Korea over alleged support for Israel's military actions. The KBA ruled the chant violated sportsmanship and political neutrality rules.
The suspension, effective immediately, bars Paichai from all KBA-sanctioned events until January 1, 2027. The school has not publicly commented on the decision.
This marks the first major disciplinary action by the KBA related to the 'Tank Day' movement, which has sparked debates over political expression in youth sports.
