Kim Heejin on Questions About 'Lee Jaeyoung and Dayoung'... "Their Olympic Participation Didn't Necessarily Mean Better Performance"

On the 22nd, volleyball player Kim Hee-jin, who appeared on the YouTube channel 'UCN SPORTS,' mentioned the twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young, who left the domestic volleyball scene due to school violence controversies.
[Photo by YouTube channel 'UCN SPORTS']

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Volleyball player Kim Heejin shared her thoughts on the twin sisters and players Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung, who left the domestic volleyball scene amid school violence controversies.

On the 22nd, an interview video with Kim Heejin was uploaded on the YouTube channel 'UCN SPORTS'.

During the interview, Kim Heejin was asked, "Recently, the issue surrounding Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung has been controversial. Was their absence at the Tokyo Olympics a loss to the team's strength?"

Kim Heejin responded, "The Tokyo Olympics felt a bit different. I don't think the results would have been better just because those players were there."

She added that regardless of the Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung incident, the members who went to the Tokyo Olympics became one team, saying, "Even if those players had come, we might have still become one."

She further explained, "Since we were focused on the matches, I don't think their absence necessarily meant the results would have been worse."

Additionally, Kim Heejin was asked whether she thought the Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung incident had negatively impacted the popularity of volleyball.

Regarding this, Kim Heejin said, "I don't feel that women's volleyball popularity has declined because of those players. I also don't feel that volleyball fans left due to the shock caused by the incident."

She continued, "On the contrary, I feel that the number of volleyball fans is actually increasing." She also mentioned that the incident made players more aware and cautious.

Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as, "She gave sincere and principled answers even to sensitive questions," "Her answers feel very genuine and I support her," "You can tell she is thoughtful," and "A perfect answer to a foolish question."

Meanwhile, the Lee Jaeyoung and Lee Dayoung sisters were identified as perpetrators of school violence in February and were removed from the reserved list of their original team, Heungkuk Life, for the 2021?2022 season.

They were also indefinitely excluded from national team selection by the Korea Volleyball Association, which led to their absence from the Tokyo Olympics.

Eventually, the sisters partnered with a Turkish agency and agreed to join the Greek league team PAOK Thessaloniki, leaving Korea on the 16th.