Seoul: Police said Monday they expect to drop a case against a Seoul high school baseball team over its alleged mockery of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement after its rival team in Gwangju expressed its wish to not seek punishment.

According to Yonhap News Agency, during a tournament game held in Seoul last month, members of Pai Chai High School's baseball team yelled, "Let's go to Starbucks!" and "Tank Day!" at their rivals from Gwangju Jeil High School. These remarks appeared to reference a controversial Starbucks Korea promotion that had faced criticism for trivializing the brutal military crackdown on democracy activists in 1980. Following the incident, a police complaint was filed against the Pai Chai baseball team on charges of insult.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Park Jeong-bo stated during a press briefing that "the victims at Gwangju Jeil High School have expressed their wish not to seek punishment." He further explained that insult is a crime that cannot be pursued if the victim does not desire punishment, indicating that the case would likely be dropped.

In a gesture of reconciliation, Pai Chai baseball players and their parents visited Gwangju Jeil High School last week to apologize for the insensitive remarks. Students from both schools also visited the May 18th National Cemetery to honor those who lost their lives during the pro-democracy movement.