BASEBALL/Korean cheerleader Lee Ju-eun to work in Taiwan, South Korea in 2025

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) South Korean cheerleader Lee Ju-eun, who works for the Fubon Guardians in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), will be employed in her home country during the 2025 season, Fubon Sports & Entertainment Co. said Thursday.

Lee's career outside Taiwan is welcome as long as she continues performing in Taiwan based on her arrangements with Fubon, the company said in a statement, assuring fans that she remains a member of the Fubon Angels, the Guardians' cheerleading squad.

Fubon Sports & Entertainment said it signed Lee to an exclusive management contract covering all of her commercial activities in Taiwan, but noted that the deal did not apply to her engagements overseas.

The statement came after the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Lee's addition to their cheerleading squad earlier Thursday, sparking concerns among her Taiwanese fans that she might no longer perform at games in Taiwan.

Lee is one of three South Korean cheerleaders currently with the Fubon Angels. Their presence may have helped build support for the team, as the Guardians saw ticket sales for the team's two-game season opening series surge by 30 percent compared to the 2024 season, the franchise said.

Lee signed with Fubon in January, becoming the first cheerleader to join a Taiwanese franchise under an exclusive management contract. The deal was described by the agency at her March press conference as "a milestone in Taiwan's baseball industry."

It had been rumored that Lee's contract was worth at least NT$10 million (US$304,925), though Fubon Sports & Entertainment President Joyce Chen (陳昭如) denied the figure without disclosing the actual amount.

Now 20, Lee began her cheerleading career in 2023 and shot to fame in 2024 while cheering for the KBO's Kia Tigers.

A viral video featuring her that garnered over 93 million views on YouTube showed her touching up her makeup courtside before standing up calmly to perform the so-called "strikeout dance" as the music began.

Lee and several other Kia Tigers cheerleaders were invited to Taiwan by Fubon in July 2024 to cheer for the Guardians during a special weekend series at Taipei Dome.

Since then, Taiwanese fans have called on CPBL teams to recruit her, as more and more South Korean cheerleaders gain popularity in the league.

Lee is not the first South Korean cheerleader to join a CPBL squad while continuing to work in South Korea.

Lee Da-hye, who blazed the trail for Korean cheerleaders in the CPBL, frequently traveled between the two countries during her first season with the Rakuten Monkeys in 2023.

Her success both on the field and in commercial endorsements marked a new era, encouraging more Korean cheerleaders to pursue careers in Taiwan, where cheerleaders enjoy as much -- if not more -- exposure as the players do.

In May 2024, Lee Da-hye announced she had rented a home in Taiwan and did not rule out buying property.