Park Sun-joo, the South Korean cheerleader known as JJUBI, transitioned to Taiwan’s CT Brothers after allegedly being blacklisted by Korean baseball teams. Reports indicate she violated an unwritten rule by dating NC Dinos player Kim Ju-won between 2022 and 2023, forcing her to rebuild her career in the Passion Sisters.
For months, Park Sun-joo told fans and the public that her move to Taiwan was driven by a love for local culture and a desire to master Mandarin. It was a narrative that played well with the public. However, recent reporting from Mirror Media suggests a far more volatile catalyst: a “forbidden love” that effectively ended her career in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
The NC Dinos Scandal and the KBO Blacklist
While working for the NC Dinos between 2022 and 2023, Park allegedly entered a low-profile relationship with Kim Ju-won, a star infield player and a member of the South Korean national team. In the rigid ecosystem of Korean professional baseball, this was more than a personal choice—it was a professional transgression. The KBO landscape maintains a strict, albeit unwritten, rule prohibiting cheerleaders from dating players on their own team.
Although the couple avoided a public announcement, the romance leaked through fan circles and online communities. According to ETtoday, the team eventually confronted both Park and Kim. Once the relationship was confirmed, the fallout was swift and asymmetrical.
Park was immediately dismissed from her position. The consequences didn’t stop at the NC Dinos; reports indicate she faced a comprehensive blacklist across other Korean clubs, leaving her with no viable path forward in her home country’s sports entertainment industry.
Gender Disparity in Professional Punishment
The aftermath of the scandal highlights a stark double standard in how the KBO handles “forbidden” relationships. While Park’s career was dismantled, Kim Ju-won faced virtually no professional repercussions. As China Times notes, Kim’s status as a “potential star” and a rare switch-hitter made him indispensable to the team’s core. He remained with the club and continued his trajectory toward national prominence.
This “punish the woman, spare the man” dynamic sparked significant debate online, framing Park not just as a rule-breaker, but as a casualty of a patriarchal industry structure where the cheerleader’s role is strictly performative and subordinate to the athlete’s value.
The Hard Road to the Passion Sisters
Park’s arrival in Taiwan was not the immediate success her current popularity suggests. She entered the market as an outsider with no institutional support. Initial attempts to secure a spot on a local cheer squad were unsuccessful, even after she sought help from friends like Lee Ya-young and Kim Na-yeon. For a period, no Taiwanese team was willing to offer her a contract.
The turning point came through a combination of academic effort and raw persistence. Park enrolled in a language school to study Chinese and took a proactive gamble by writing a personal letter to “Sister Gui,” the manager of the CT Brothers’ cheerleading squad. As reported by Liberty Times, this display of sincerity eventually broke the deadlock, leading to her recruitment into the Passion Sisters.
Comparing the Economics of KBO and CPBL
Beyond the social drama, the move to Taiwan represented a significant financial upgrade. The economic reality for cheerleaders in Korea is often precarious, especially for those not at the absolute top of the hierarchy. In Korea, Park’s earnings per game were approximately NT$3,000—a sum that struggled to keep pace with the high cost of living in South Korea.
In Taiwan, the business model for “cheerleader idols” is more diversified. By leveraging her “mountain pig princess” nickname (a play on the pronunciation of her name) and her quirky personality, Park has expanded her revenue streams beyond the stadium.
- Core Salary: Regular appearances with the Passion Sisters.
- Brand Partnerships: Endorsements for beauty, skincare, and fashion brands.
- Commercial Assets: Official team collaborations and sports equipment sponsorships.
This shift from a flat per-game fee to a multi-channel influencer model has allowed her to turn a professional exile into a lucrative career second act.
Verification Gaps and Future Ambitions
Despite the detailed accounts in Taiwanese media, there is a notable silence in South Korea. An investigation by NOWnews found that mainstream Korean media outlets have not reported on the blacklisting or the romance. The story exists almost exclusively within online forums and blogs, leaving the official “blacklist” claim as a reported allegation rather than a documented corporate policy.
Regardless of the veracity of the KBO’s internal politics, Park has clearly found a sanctuary in Taiwan. She has expressed a desire to move beyond the sidelines of professional baseball, stating in interviews that she hopes to eventually open a specialized cheerleading classroom for children in Taiwan.
For now, the CT Brothers’ management remains neutral. When asked about the allegations of the forbidden romance and the subsequent fallout in Korea, the team’s manager stated they do not interfere with and respect the private lives of their artists.
