Taiwan's professional basketball cheerleading scene keeps adding Korean star power. Cheer squad YoungKey Girls, which had just announced the departures of three popular Korean members, Lee So-min, Choi Hong-ra and Nabi, wasted no time filling the gap, unveiling Kim Tae-hee as its newest Korean recruit on September 16. On the very same day, New Taipei Kings' cheer squad, 17LIVE QUEENS, announced its own Korean signing, bringing in Rakuten Girls' Ha Ji-won. The double announcement gives Taiwan's new basketball season an early jolt of buzz.
Kim Tae-hee Completes A New Korean Trio At YoungKey Girls
YoungKey Girls confirmed that Kim Tae-hee will join returning Korean members Mok Na-kyung and Park Dam-bi to form the squad's Korean lineup for the new season. Kim came up through South Korea's idol trainee system, building years of dance and stage experience before shifting into cheerleading, where her sweet image and lively cheering style earned her a following. Her signing lets the team quickly restock its Korean roster just after losing three members at once.
Beyond her performances, the team is also promoting Kim's Chinese language skills, nicknaming her the "Chinese Monster" among Korean cheerleaders and noting she has been studying hard to be ready to talk directly with Taiwanese fans once she arrives. Kim has cheered in Taiwan before as a guest performer, but this marks her shift from occasional guest appearances to a full-time spot on a Taiwanese professional basketball cheer squad, and fans are already anticipating how she'll connect with the crowd this season.
Ha Ji-won Trades Baseball For Basketball At New Taipei Kings
The same day brought a second surprise from New Taipei Kings' 17LIVE QUEENS, which announced Ha Ji-won as its newest member. Known affectionately by fans as "Uncle Ha," she is currently a member of the Rakuten Girls, the cheer squad for the Rakuten Monkeys in Taiwan's professional baseball league, where she has built her career cheering at the ballpark. Joining QUEENS marks her first time cheering courtside at a basketball game in Taiwan, giving fans a chance to see a different side of her during baseball's off-season.
With Kim Tae-hee and Ha Ji-won both confirmed on the same day, the competition among Taiwan's professional basketball teams to recruit popular Korean cheerleaders has only intensified heading into the new season. YoungKey Girls now pairs its new signing with returning members Mok Na-kyung and Park Dam-bi, while New Taipei Kings has landed an already well-known name in Ha Ji-won. As Korean cheerleaders increasingly cross over between baseball and basketball, and even between rival teams, the off-season scramble to strengthen cheer squad lineups has become its own storyline off the court.