[News Figures] 'Volleyball Empress' Kim Yeon-koung's Solo Run, Will Heungkuk Life Achieve 15 Consecutive Wins?

'The longest winning streak record in V-League history for the club.'

As expected, it was Kim Yeon-koung. Led by Kim Yeon-koung (36), Heungkuk Life Insurance is currently on a 14-game winning streak in the Dodram 2024-2025 V-League Women's Division. On the 17th, they will challenge the V-League Women's Division record of 15 consecutive wins.

Kim Yeon-koung truly deserves titles such as 'Volleyball Empress,' 'Living Legend,' and 'Pillar of Korean Volleyball.' In the professional V-League, Heungkuk Life Insurance, with Kim Yeon-koung on the team, is achieving historic records. After guarding the court for 19 years, Kim Yeon-koung's prime is still ongoing. In the V-League, she has consistently scored crucial points without faltering. She ranks 8th overall (118 points) among domestic players in scoring. Her attack success rate (45.68%) and quick open success rate (55.36%) are the highest in the league. Her reception success rate is also second in the league. Kim leads by example for her juniors on both offense and defense.

Yonhap News

On the 14th, Kim Yeon-koung became the sixth woman in professional volleyball history to surpass 5,000 career points. She achieved this milestone in just 221 games, the shortest period ever. This beat the previous record held by Park Jeong-ah, who took 337 games, by 116 games. This was possible because she averaged around 20 points per game. She is the sixth player to reach 5,000 points, following Yang Hyo-jin (Hyundai Engineering & Construction, 7,755 points), Park Jeong-ah (Pepper Savings Bank, 5,896 points), Hwang Yeon-joo (Hyundai Engineering & Construction, 5,794 points), Jung Dae-young (retired, 5,653 points), and Han Song-i (retired, 5,321 points).

Kim Yeon-koung debuted professionally in 2005 with Heungkuk Life Insurance and quickly rose as a new star in Korean volleyball from her first season. Heungkuk Life Insurance won the championship in all four finals during the four seasons following her debut. Afterward, starting with the Japanese league in 2009, she expanded her career to the global stage including Turkey and China, gaining fame as one of the world's best attackers. She also excelled in Olympic games wearing the Taegeuk mark. Kim Yeon-koung led two historic semifinal appearances at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She played a total of 271 games for the national team, scoring 4,981 points. Ari Grasa, President of the International Volleyball Federation, praised her as "a role model for millions worldwide and one of the greatest volleyball players in history," adding, "We will miss her energy and dedication."

Kim Yeon-koung planned to retire from active play this year. She already retired from the national team in June. However, after Heungkuk Life Insurance finished as runners-up to Hyundai Engineering & Construction in the championship finals, she chose to extend her playing career to challenge for the title once more. Since Kim Yeon-koung returned to Korea in 2020, Heungkuk Life Insurance has finished as runners-up three times in three seasons. Attention is now focused on whether Heungkuk Life Insurance can finally win the championship this time.