Han Kang says Paichai High School incident should lead to deeper reflection

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 ...