"Preparing for a Second Life" ? Announces Retirement... 7 Club Managers Decide on Farewell Tour
Rookie of the Year and MVP in First Season with Heungkuk Life
Led Team to Three Championships and Became First Korean to Play Overseas in Japan
"If you were to choose a player to make the final shot that decides the outcome in basketball, you might hesitate, but in volleyball, only 'Kim Yeon-koung' comes to mind." (Yang Dong-geun, former national basketball player)
The absolute ace of Korean women's volleyball, Kim Yeon-koung, is leaving the court she has grown fond of. She announced her retirement after the game against GS Caltex held at home on the 13th. After leading her team, Heungkuk Life, to an 8-game winning streak, she said in the MVP interview, "I will retire at the end of this season. I have decided to retire regardless of the results," adding, "I felt now is the right time. I want to finish this season well and prepare for my second life."
Kim Yeon-koung is followed by the title of 'Volleyball Empress.' A grand retirement tour befitting her status is being prepared. She is the first Korean volleyball player to have such a tour. So far, among domestic sports stars, only two baseball players have had retirement tours: Lee Seung-yeop of the Samsung Lions in 2017 and Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants in 2022.
Kim Yeon-koung (right) is receiving a souvenir from IBK players after the Dodram 2024-2025 V-League match against IBK Industrial Bank held at Hwaseong Sports Complex on the 16th. Photo by Korea Volleyball Federation, Yonhap News Agency
Kim Yeon-koung played her first game after announcing her retirement on the 16th. It was an away game against IBK Industrial Bank held at Hwaseong Sports Complex. After the game, the home team IBK Industrial Bank presented Kim Yeon-koung with a retirement commemorative frame signed by the team members. IBK Industrial Bank’s gesture of honoring the departing empress led to the idea of a retirement tour. On the following day, the 17th, the general managers of the seven teams in the Women's Professional Volleyball V-League gathered and agreed that all teams would hold a retirement tour for Kim Yeon-koung during their last game of the season against Heungkuk Life, just like IBK Industrial Bank.
Kim Yeon-koung is indisputably the greatest star in Korean volleyball. She joined Heungkuk Life as the first overall pick in the 2005-2006 rookie draft and swept the regular season MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in her first season. Over the next four years, she led her team to three championships and in 2009, she was loaned to Japan’s JT Marvelous, becoming the first Korean player to play overseas. She later played in the Turkish and Chinese leagues, establishing herself as the world’s top attacker.
With Kim Yeon-koung’s emergence, Korean women's volleyball entered a golden era. At the 2012 London Olympics, the team made a splash by reaching the semifinals for the first time in 36 years since winning the bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Although they failed to win a medal, Kim Yeon-koung’s presence was unparalleled. She scored 207 points in 8 matches, becoming the top scorer by a wide margin over second-place Destiny Hooker (USA, 161 points) and third-place Saori Kimura (Japan, 142 points). Kim Yeon-koung was named the MVP of the women's volleyball tournament at the London Olympics. Her 207 points remain the highest single-Olympics scoring record to this day.
Kim Yeon-koung is celebrating after scoring in the women's professional volleyball V-League match against IBK Industrial Bank Altos held on the 13th at the Hwaseong Sports Complex Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News
Kim Yeon-koung also scored 136 points at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ranking second in scoring behind Serbia’s Boskovic (192 points). Although the team again finished fourth and missed out on a medal, her performance remained outstanding. At the Asian Games, she helped Korea win the gold medal for the first time in 20 years by defeating China at the 2014 Incheon Games.
Kim Yeon-koung dreams of a perfect finish. She returned to the domestic league in 2022 but finished as runner-up for two consecutive seasons. As of the 19th this season, Heungkuk Life is leading first place with 70 points (24 wins, 5 losses), far ahead of second-place Hyundai Engineering & Construction (57 points, 18 wins, 11 losses). Already holding the record for the most regular season MVP awards in history, Kim Yeon-koung is aiming for her seventh regular season MVP award in her career.
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