“To love and honor, to comfort, and to cherish. In sickness and in health. For better or for worse.” The foundation of love and marriage. But life is filled with obstacles, and tough times can put love to the test. This is a story about hardships and challenges. About love and comfort. About support and determination. This is a story about a couple, who traveled the world and found peace in Cambodia.
Cecilie Næsager is from Thy in northern Denmark. Shy by nature, Cecilie grew up in the rural countryside. She liked sports, volleyball, handball, badminton, and gymnastics, though ironically, she never cared much for football.
Jungbin Park has always loved football. He was born in Busan, South Korea. Extroverted by nature, he is the type who makes friends wherever he goes. From the age of six he dreamt of becoming a professional football player. He trained night and day and by age 16, he was being scouted by European leagues. In 2010 Jungbin’s father signed a small exit-contract, and the Park family moved to Germany. When Jungbin was 21 years old, he moved to Denmark and played for Viborg FF, which is where he met Cecilie.
The two met on Tinder. Cecilie’s friend had made her a profile – Just for fun, mostly against Cecilie’s better judgement. At the time Jungbin, like most Korean expats, used Tinder for friendships, so Cecilie didn’t feel the same pressure from the other guys. The two exchanged contact information and stayed in touch.
It started as an online friendship. Jungbin was tired of only hanging out with football guys. Cecilie was intrigued by someone from a culture unlike anything she knew from Thy. The online friendship built up over many months, until one day in mid-September 2016, Jungbin desperately needed printer ink and with no idea where to look, he turned to Cecilie. The months of talking had gradually eased Cecilie’s shyness, so she agreed to help him.
They met in front of Viborg library and Cecilie was nervous. It was her first time really meeting and talking to a foreigner, and she wasn’t too confident in her spoken English.
Jungbin was nervous too. It was not meant to be a date; they were just going to buy printer ink. Still, she was beautiful and different from any girl he had met before, so laid-back and kindhearted.
Their connection grew stronger. She helped him learn Danish. He took her to new places she was normally too shy to venture into on her own. It wasn’t long before romance blossomed. And on New Year’s Eve 2018 Jungbin bent down on one knee and the two married in spring 2019.
Professional football is a tumultuous career. It requires a lot from a person – and their spouse. Jungbin had always been hardworking and focused on his goals, but Cecilie showed him how to slow down and appreciate the present. At the same time, Cecilie felt inspired by Jungbin’s hardworking spirit, and she started to see how she too could accomplish her goals if she truly committed.
In 2019 the newlyweds packed up their life in Jutland and headed for the Swiss Alps, where Jungbin had been signed with Servette FC. A big move for the shy girl from Thy, but as long as she was with her beloved husband, and he was happy, everything would be all right. Jungbin played his best season yet. Games were won. He was named star player of the Swiss season. And his proudest supporter, Cecilie, was cheering him on. Everything was going so well.
And then COVID hit. Everything shut down. And tragedy struck. During practice Jungbin had an accident that resulted in a serious knee injury.
The injury required surgery and Cecilie was mortified. She stayed by Jungbin’s bedside, comforting and supporting him. Because of COVID and visa rules, Jungbin was not permitted to stay in Europe while recovering from his surgery, so together the young couple decided to leave Europe for Jungbin’s home country, South Korea.
Korea sounded exciting, Cecilie had never been. She only knew what Jungbin had told her. Sure, it had not been part of their plan. The injury had been hard on them both. But it was a new adventure rarely experienced by young girls back in Thy. As long as they had each other, everything was all right. Jungbin had even signed with FC Seoul. Things were looking up.
And then misfortune befell the couple again. Back when Jungbin was 16 years old, his father had signed a contract with his old club, Jeonnam Dragons, to get his son to Europe. The contract stated that if Jungbin returned to Korea to play, he could play only for them. Jeonnam Dragons demanded that Jungbin stop playing for FC Seoul, or they would sue for 150,000 USD. Cecilie and Jungbin tried to negotiate. But the club leaked the case to the media. The story became about a selfish player who refused to honor a legally binding contract. Before they knew it, Cecilie and Jungbin were staring down a tsunami of public scrutiny.
The online hate was life-shattering. Cecilie could not go online without seeing thousands of faceless avatars mocking her husband. She watched him wear down. He would come home to their tiny apartment looking deadly tired – and not from training. She could see the light behind his eyes begin to darken, and though she tried to comfort him, she was unable to fix anything. She feared the harassment from lawyers and fans alike would eventually make him snap.
To Jungbin, it had looked so bright. He had brought his wife to Korea, excited to show her where he came from. Now, with the legal situation and the online hate, she barely left the apartment. He was concerned for her. Jeonnam Dragons wanted 150,000 USD, way more than he could pay. He considered just giving up, and he became very depressed.
The lawsuit was solved by Jungbin’s parents. The father, who had signed that cursed contract all those years ago, sold their house to pay Jeonnam Dragons.
Jungbin was free, but Korea was ruined. What was meant to be a fresh start for the young couple had turned into a traumatic legal nightmare. The couple moved to France, where Jungbin signed with Rodez AF.
France could be good, Cecilie thought, a fresh start. She could see a bit of light return to her husband, and seeing that made her feel better too. He even scored the winning goal in a game against a major rival club, and Cecilie was so proud. France could be good, if only he kept playing.
But things turned sour for the couple. Jungbin was benched. No matter how well he played and how hard he trained, it never seemed to matter to the club management, who refused to put him out on the field. Cecilie could see his frustrations. She heard whispers from other players’ wives. Allegedly, something about a racist assistant coach with a vendetta against foreign players. She could see the light in her husband, which had just come back, fade once more. She was not thriving either. She had no friends in France. She found herself isolated, staying at home yet again.
This couldn’t continue. The couple started to look around for a place to relocate. Offers were coming in from all over the world. Visakha FC in Cambodia offered him a contract – he declined. A club in India – he declined. Visakha FC offered a higher salary and better benefits – he declined again. They considered going back to Denmark to live with Cecilie’s family.
And then Visakha sent a third offer. It was extremely rare for a club to send three separate offers. That was an opportunity too good to pass up. So Jungbin accepted.
Cambodia? Cecilie had to look it up on a map. Jungbin seemed excited, and she was excited for him, if not a little hesitant. Her in-laws thought it was crazy. But they had moved around so much, so maybe it was not a big deal, as long as they had eachother. She decided to let Cambodia be a surprise.
And surprise it did. Upon landing in Phnom Penh, Cecilie and Jungbin were greeted by a happy group of people from Visakha FC. Immediately Cecilie felt a welcoming warmth that had been missing in France. It wasn’t long either before she started making friends. Phnom Penh had a large Korean diaspora that welcomed her husband and, by extension, her with open arms.
The shy girl from Thy now has a large social circle, and every day friends ask to hang out. Jungbin is thriving too. He is doing what he loves; playing football, and that makes Cecilie happy. She cherished his success.
Cambodia is the place for them for now. It suits them well. But Jungbin and Cecilie both agree that it would be nice to one day return to Denmark to raise a family. They know a professional football career can’t last forever.
“We have a dream of settling down in Denmark eventually. But I always tell him, as long as you are happy playing football, I will support you. We are a team,” Cecilie says while looking lovingly at Jungbin.
If you want to hear more about Cecilie & Jungbin, you can actually look at their YouTube channel here.
https://www.youtube.com/@JBCILLE
Lovely story, we love a story of endurance
Really cool story, with so many ups and downs, it’s so exciting to read about a strong couple who were ready to fight for their goals and love.