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Volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung leaves court on high note

입력 2025.04.10 17:58

Bae Jae-heung

Volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung of the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders holds up a medal after winning the 2024-25 V League Championship and the regular season at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on April 8. Yonhap News

When Korean volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung of the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders announced her retirement on February 13, many people asked, “Why retire when you’re still playing so well?” Kim finally gave her answer after winning the 2024-25 V League Championship.

Kim, who scored a team-high 34 points in the fifth game of the championship series on April 8 to clinch the title for the Pink Spiders, expressed her joy, saying, “I’ve always imagined retiring at the top, holding the championship trophy. This is the ending of my career I originally dreamed of.” Wanting to end her career on a high note, Kim judged that this season was the right time to do so. She fulfilled her dream and officially bid farewell to the court that day.

Kim’s career came to a close with a “happy ending,” as she won the championship MVP and is also a strong contender for the regular season MVP. However, Korean women’s volleyball is not yet ready to enter the “post-Kim Yeon-koung” era.”

Her absence will have an immediate impact on the popularity of the next season. Looking at the attendance rankings for each match this season, the first through 12th spots are all the Pink Spiders’ home matches. Heungkuk Life Insurance’s average home games averaged 4,562 spectators, which is nearly twice the league average of 2,545.

After Kim, there is no star player in the V League or in the national women’s volleyball team who can drive its popularity. Since Kim retired from the national team after the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Korea’s international competitiveness in women’s volleyball has declined, even struggling within Asia. It is no surprise that the void left by Kim, once regarded as the world’s top outside hitter, is not easily filled.

Kim, who fulfilled her last wish as a volleyball player, also leaves the court with concerns about the future of Korean women’s volleyball.

“The national team has been on a downward spiral since the Tokyo Olympics. I’ve always been worried about its future,“ Kim said. ”We need to train and develop players in the long term under a systematic program.”

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She added, “I believe there are many players with great potential. It’s up to coaches to think about how to discover and develop them.” Kim also shared heartfelt advice for younger players. “These days, young players tend to favor showy and spectacular plays. But I hope they focus on building strong fundamentals that may not be seen but are essential for becoming great athletes.”

Kim has yet to decide on her next career move. For now, she plans to stay active through the “KYK Foundation,” which she launched last year using the initials of her name, to support the development of volleyball and youth sports. “The foundation has a number of activities planned this year,” she said. “I’ll also take some time to think about the direction I want to pursue. I’ll continue doing my part to contribute to the development of Korean volleyball.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.