A Young Baseball Hope Who Overcame Childhood Cancer, Starting a New Life as the 'Minjung's Cane'

Dreamed of Becoming a Baseball Player While Battling Osteosarcoma in Elementary School

Wi Joobin (23), a baseball boy who became a topic of conversation for overcoming cancer in the past, is starting a new life as a police officer.

Graduated from the 313th class of the Central Police Academy, Woo Joobin (23), Police Officer
[Photo by National Police Agency, Yonhap News]

On the 15th, the Central Police Academy held the 313th graduation ceremony at the large sports field on campus in Chungju, Chungbuk, attended by 2,197 new police officers including Officer Wi. Officer Wi was diagnosed with sarcoma, a malignant tumor in the bones and muscles of his limbs, in 2013 when he was in elementary school, forcing him to temporarily halt his studies and baseball. He endured seven difficult rounds of chemotherapy to overcome the disease with the dream of becoming a baseball player. As his story became known, Officer Wi threw the first pitch wearing the NC Dinos uniform at the first official game held at Gocheok Sky Dome, Korea’s first dome stadium, which opened in 2015 when he was in the 6th grade. The following year, he also threw the first pitch at the first game of the 2016 KBO League postseason playoffs held at Masan Baseball Stadium in Changwon, Gyeongnam.

Played Baseball Until High School, Then Changed Career After Much Deliberation

He continued playing baseball as a "baseball hopeful" until high school and was declared completely cured of sarcoma in 2018, five years after his battle. However, the professional baseball teams’ barriers were high for Officer Wi, who had to repeat a grade for treatment. Feeling he had reached his limit as a baseball player, he considered other career paths. While gathering his resolve with the thought that "nothing can be achieved by lingering regrets," he became interested in police investigative work and began preparing for the exam.

Studying independently through online lectures, he passed the first stage of the police exam within eight months and entered the Central Police Academy in June last year to become a police officer. Assigned to the Namhae Central Police Substation in Gyeongnam, Officer Wi said, "I passed the exam and achieved my dream by giving it my all," adding, "When I was a baseball player, I played infield and pitcher positions, protecting my team from the batter’s attack. Now, I will become a diligent police officer who protects the safety of the people."

On the 15th, the 313th New Police Officer Graduation Ceremony was held at the Central Police Academy in Chungju, Chungbuk.
[Photo by National Police Agency, Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, among this year’s police academy graduates, 1,940 were recruited through the police officer open competitive exam, and 257 were recruited through career competitive exams in nine fields including police administration, special forces, and cyber investigation. By gender, there were 1,752 men and 445 women. Since June last year, they completed a nine-month curriculum focused on field response and case-based practical training before being assigned to frontline security posts such as police substations and patrol stations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.