Han Kang says Paichai High School incident should lead to deeper reflection
Author Han Kang speaks with Korean reporters at the Avignon Festival in Avignon, France, on Wednesday (local time). Yonhap
Nobel laureate Han Kang has spoken publicly about the recent controversy involving Paichai High School's baseball team, saying the incident should not simply be forgotten and instead deserves deeper reflection from society.
The Korean author made the remarks while attending the 80th Avignon Festival in France, Wednesday (local time), where she met with Korean reporters.
Asked about criticisms that Korea's response to the controversy may have been excessive, Han said the issue calls for serious discussion.
"I think we need to think more deeply about this issue," she said.
Han added that the teachers she knows have also been wrestling with difficult questions raised by the incident.
"They ask themselves, 'What can we do?' and 'How did we, as the older generation, fail to the point where this happened?'" she said.
The controversy began after several members of Paichai High School's baseball team chanted slogans including "Let's go to Starbucks" and "Tank Day" during a game against Gwangju Jeil High School on June 29. The chants were widely criticized for referencing Starbucks promotions that had been accused of mocking the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. The players later received a six-month suspension from national tournaments.
Players from Gwangju Jeil High School and Paichai High School pay their respects at the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju on July 6. Korea Times photo by Kang Ye-jin
Han said the incident should serve as an opportunity for broader reflection rather than being dismissed after the initial public reaction.
"When an important incident like this occurs, we should not simply let it pass amid shock and surprise," she said. "If this incident is sending us a signal, we need to recognize the problem that has surfaced and think together about how to move forward."
Han also addressed the broader issue of growing hatred and intolerance around the world.
"Finding ways to overcome hatred is one of the important tasks we face," she said. "Now is the time for all of us to think together about how we can change direction in this era of hatred."
At the same time, she expressed cautious optimism.
"The fact that we recognize hatred itself as a problem is a very positive thing," she said. "If we share the understanding that hatred is not something natural but something that should be addressed, then I think there is hope."
The Avignon Festival, held every July in the southern French city of Avignon, is one of the world's leading performing arts festivals. To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, the festival selected Korean as its guest language this year and invited Han to participate. A stage adaptation of her novel “We Do Not Part,” which explores the Jeju April 3 uprising, was also presented during the festival.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.