Good-bye, Kim Yeon-koung clubs also agreed…Retirement tour will be officially held

Feb 18, 2025

On the 16th, Heungkuk Life won the V-League Women's IBK Industrial Bank and Heungkuk Life Insurance 3-0 at Hwaseong Sports Town Indoor Gymnasium. At Kim Yeon-kyung's retirement event held after the game, Kim Yeon-kyung is taking a commemorative photo after receiving the signed uniforms of IBK Industrial Bank players. Hwaseong = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.02.16/

On the 16th, Heungkuk Life won the V-League Women's IBK Industrial Bank and Heungkuk Life Insurance 3-0 at Hwaseong Sports Town Indoor Gymnasium. Hwang Min-kyung delivers a bouquet of flowers to Kim Yeon-kyung at her retirement event after the match. Hwaseong = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.02.16/

'Volleyball Empress' Kim Yeon-kyung (37) will start her retirement tour in earnest.

Kim Yeon-kyung said in an official interview after the GS Caltex match on the 13th that she decided to retire at the end of this season. I came to think about retiring regardless of my grades. We'll wrap up the season well," he said, making his retirement official.

Announcement of retirement during an unusual season. Kim Yeon-koung said, `I thought about it to some extent even before the season. However, there were clubs, management companies, KOVO, and many things to talk about. He said, "I saw the timing" and added, "Then (Kim) Hae-ran's words at her retirement ceremony came out as a story, and I (announced) like this." In addition, he "There's still a lot of time, so I hope you don't regret it. I hope you come to many games and watch it," he said to his fans.

At the general manager's meeting on the 17th, the federation agreed with the clubs to hold a retirement ceremony in the remaining regular league games for Kim Yeon-kyung's beautiful farewell.

Like the event held at the IBK Industrial Bank of Korea on the 16th, each club will deliver team souvenirs to Kim Yeon-kyung during the home game, and then gift Kim Yeon-kyung's autographed ball (Gyeonggi-gu) and uniform to fans who visited the stadium through a lottery. The first game after Kim Yeon-koung announced her retirement. Mars was packed into the audience.

On the 16th, Heungkuk Life won the V-League Women's IBK Industrial Bank and Heungkuk Life Insurance 3-0 at Hwaseong Sports Town Indoor Gymnasium. Kim Yeon-koung greets her fans at Kim Yeon-koung's retirement event after the game. Hwaseong = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2025.02.16/

Kim Yeon-koung was different from her debut. Kim Yeon-kyung, who wore Heungkuk Life's uniform as the No. 1 overall V-League player in the 2005-2006 season, secured a starting position from her first season. That year, he won the Rookie of the Year award and the regular league MVP award at the same time, winning six regular league MVPs and 13 round MVPs, the most in V-League history.

It's not just this. Kim Yeon-kyung has played in the championship game in all of the past seven seasons (2005-2006 season, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2020-2021 season, 2022-2023 season, and 2023-2024 season) while in the V-League. This is the only record among players who have played more than five seasons in the V-League. If Heungkuk Life Insurance, which is ranked first with 70 points, advances to the championship game by this season, this record could continue.

Kim Yeon-koung is also an indispensable figure in Korean volleyball. Kim Yeon-koung, who led the team in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with the national flag, played in Korea, Japan, Turkiye, and overseas leagues in China, winning numerous championships and MVPs, demonstrating her dignity as a world-class player.

Kim Yeon-kyung, who will mark the end of her 20th year as a professional, is set to hold her second retirement event in an away game against Hyundai Engineering & Construction at Suwon Gymnasium on the 21st following the IBK Industrial Bank match.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.