We still have a lot of games left... Kim Yeon-koung's retirement announcement. Why was it in the season

Feb 14, 2025

We still have a lot of games left... Kim Yeon-koung's retirement announcement. Why was it in the season
A V-League match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and Jeong Kwan-jang held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 2nd. Heungkuk Life Insurance's Kim Yeon-kyung is catching her breath. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.02.02/



We still have a lot of games left... Kim Yeon-koung's retirement announcement. Why was it in the season
The match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and GS Caltex at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 13th. When Heungkuk Life Insurance's Kim Soo-ji blocked Silva's attack, Kim Yeon-kyung continues to talk. Incheon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.2.13/
"You must have been surprised"

Kim Yeon-kyung (37, Heungkuk Life Insurance) announced her retirement after the GS Caltex match held at Samsan Gymnasium in Incheon on the 13th.

The position where he played with the most 19 points in the team (47.22% attack success rate) and came in to serve as a trainee.




The word 'retirement' is all the more shocking as it was still the best in 28 games this season (45.36%), first in the quick open (54.59%), fourth in the rear attack (41.94%), and second in receptions (42.34%).

There was one hint of retirement. At Kim Hae-ran's retirement ceremony on the 9th, there was a wave once when he said "I'll follow you." However, as they were still showing good performance, many looked at them after winning the championship game or a few years later.

Kim Yeon-koung `thought little by little. I played volleyball for a long time, and I think I thought a lot about it. I heard stories from people around me and thought about them personally, but when I thought about it, I thought this was a good time. If it's a shame, it's a shame, but I'm going to be a shame no matter when I retire, so I finished this season well and chose to retire."




And then "Is it always good?? I said I wanted to quit. I thought about that and thought about the timing. I thought I could do it at this time, but I thought it would be better to quit," he added.

We still have a lot of games left... Kim Yeon-koung's retirement announcement. Why was it in the season
After the match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and Pepper Savings Bank held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 9th, Heungkuk Life's Libero Kim Hae-ran's retirement ceremony was held. Kim Yeon-koung is giving a large uniform frame as a gift. Incheon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.2.9/
Why was the fifth round when he announced his retirement. 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."

At the same time, it contains consideration for fans. Kim Yeon-koung is the most popular player in the V-League. He has played a lot for the national team and has played as an "Ace" not only in the V-League but also in Japan, Turkey, and China. Even those who are not familiar with volleyball have heard of the name Kim Yeon-kyung at least once.




Heungkuk Life has eight more games to go. Kim Yeon-kyung expressed her desire to meet even one more fan on the court until the end.

We still have a lot of games left... Kim Yeon-koung's retirement announcement. Why was it in the season
A match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and GS Caltex held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 13th. After winning three sets, Kim Yeon-koung is holding Jeong Yoon-ju's hand. Incheon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.2.13/
Kim said hello to her fans at the end of the interview, "'Thank you for always supporting me. There is still a lot of time, so please don't regret it. I hope you come to many games and watch it" he said. An official from Heungkuk Life Insurance also said "I used to say that a lot. One of the biggest reasons for announcing it in the middle of the season is to hope that even one of them will come to the volleyball court and see it."

At the same time, I hoped it would be funny at the last minute with my fans. Kim Yeon-koung said, `Of course I want a good finish. It's not because of me, but we've been preparing so well since the offseason. I hope we can finish with this flow and win"I'm trying to pour out everything I have because it's my last season. The team members also try to help well. I hope we can do our best and end it well."

We still have a lot of games left... Kim Yeon-koung's retirement announcement. Why was it in the season
A V-League match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and Jeong Kwan-jang held at Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on the 2nd. Heungkuk Life Insurance's Kim Yeon-koung is checking the cause of death. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.02.02/


This article was translated by Naver AI translator.