Earning over $140 million in his MLB career, Shin Soo Choo talks about his huge salary cut and helping out with his wife's YouTube channel after retiring

15 Jan 2025, 21:01 by Sophie-Ha · allkpop

Retired baseball player Shin Soo Choo opened up about his marriage challenges due to his wife Ha Won Mi's YouTube channel and also revealed his huge salary cut.

Appearing on 'Radio Star' for the first time in 10 years, Shin Soo Choo shared an unexpected challenge in his married life: his wife Ha Won Mi’s passion for her YouTube channel.

The January 15 episode of MBC’s 'Radio Star' featured a special segment titled "Clear Skies in Act Two of My Life" with guests Shin Soo Choo, Goo Hye Sun, Kwak Si Yang, and Yoon Nam No.

During the episode, the baseball player revealed that he had received a salary cut of 1 billion KRW (687,160 USD) after a salary cap for athletes was adopted in South Korea. He explained, "When I returned to Korea (in 2021) I received 2.7 billion KRW (1.9 million USD). I received the same amount during my second year, and in my third year I received a 1 billion KRW salary reduction because of the salary cap that was adopted in the professional baseball league."

His Korean baseball salary was quite small in comparison to his MLB salary. During his 13 seasons in the MLB, Shin Soo Choo earned over $140 million USD.

Shin Soo Choo, known for his affectionate relationship with his wife of 21 years, admitted that their marriage had some challenges due to her YouTube hobby. He shared, "My wife recently started a YouTube channel and makes me set things up around the house." He shared with a sigh, but added humorously, "Helping her with this is all I can do now." He described how he found himself signing off on her filming requests after retiring from baseball, making the studio burst into laughter.

One particular story had Shin-Soo Choo caught off guard when articles about their luxurious home in Dallas, Texas started flooding the Korean media articles. He later discovered that his wife had posted a home tour video on YouTube. The video, titled "Shin Soo Choo’s House Without Shin Soo Choo," garnered around 800,000 views and became a viral hit.

The video showcased their massive 20,000 square foot mansion, complete with a private bar, movie theater, swimming pool, basketball court, and gym, resembling a luxury resort. Stunned by the scale of the home, host Kim Gu Ra asked, "Did she film all of that without telling you?"

Shin Soo Choo humorously mimicked his wife’s words: "Honey, I need to grab some content!"

When Kim Gu Ra asked why Ha Won Mi started her YouTube channel, Shin Soo Choo responded, "Because I don’t have any income now," causing a huge uproar in the studio. In disbelief, Kim Gook Jin shouted, "That’s a house without income?!" making everyone burst into laughter.

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