Give up the Seoul metropolitan area advantage and go to Busan? OK Savings Bank's extraordinary choice, breaking down regional imbalances → Will it be the first step in pioneering the blue ocean?
Jun 11, 2025
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He leaves Ansan, the metropolitan area, for Busan. It is a rare occurrence in the Korean professional sports community, where they shout in unison, "'To Seoul, to the metropolitan area.'"
OK Savings Bank will propose a plan to relocate its headquarters to Busan at the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) Working Committee on the 12th. Then, if it is finally passed at the board meeting scheduled for the 24th, the relocation of the base will be confirmed. On March 15, the Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance match will be the farewell match of OK Savings Bank in Ansan.
It will start from the upcoming 2025-2026 season. It is now time for the communion, which has been shared by both Busan City and OK Savings Bank over the possibility of relocating their hometowns for a long time, to come to fruition.
An official from OK Savings Bank said, `I wanted to make a case of leaving without blushing. There was no conflict with Ansan City at all. Since its inception, it has been treated well in many ways, including using the gym. We also took the lead in sharing and comforting the sadness of the local people during the Ferry Sewol crisis. There are two wins, and there are many special memories."
He then explained that "'As a result of the volleyball community, Busan City, and us confirming each other's will and forming a consensus on the cause of expanding the base of volleyball and resolving regional imbalances.'"
Nine of the 14 professional volleyball clubs are concentrated in Seoul and the metropolitan area. Men's volleyball is especially serious.
In the case of women's volleyball, there are two local clubs: Pepper Savings Bank (Gwangju) and Korea Expressway Corporation (Gumi, Gyeongbuk). On the other hand, if Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Jeong Kwan-jang (Daejeon) and Hyundai Capital (Cheonan) in Chungcheong Province are considered to be the "Combined Capital Area", men's volleyball has been concentrated in the metropolitan area since KB Insurance moved from Gumi, Gyeongbuk to Uijeongbu in 2017.
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But OK Savings Bank intends to leave the Seoul metropolitan area for good. It is a move with a cause that is difficult to resist. From the perspective of the league and other volleyball circles, it is welcome with both hands.
From the perspective of OK Savings Bank, Ansan was in the periphery of professional volleyball except for Simone's heyday (2014-2015, 2015-2016). With the spirit of the youngest men's volleyball team, he seems to be expanding his horizons and pioneering the blue ocean.
In reality, it is difficult to expect a business synergy effect with the parent company. Busan is an area where OK Savings Bank does not have goodwill.
However, it is expected to quench the thirst of local fans who have been alienated from professional volleyball for a long time and find a potential fan base. After all, where there is demand, there is supply. Busan not only guarantees the passion and population to enjoy sports, but also can expect the gathering effect of non-metropolitan fandom living far from the metropolitan area.
OK Savings Bank saw sufficient potential in Busan's volleyball infrastructure and hidden heat. There are a total of 13 teams in the student sports department alone, including four high school teams (Sungji High School, Sungji High School, Gyeongnam Girls' High School). In addition, according to OK Savings Bank, more than a quarter of the volleyball clubs registered in the Korean Sports Council, or about 200, are active, so the enthusiasm for daily sports is hot. It is rumored that expectations of local volleyball fans, who are already excited about the news of OK Savings Bank's relocation, are soaring.
There is also enough infrastructure to play professional volleyball. Currently, the use of Gangseo Gymnasium is likely, but other candidates are widely discussed.
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Of course, there are a lot of hardships to be experienced in the future, such as the departure of existing fandom, fatigue of the team due to long travel distances, and lack of media coverage. Even within the group, there are critical views such as 'the hardship of self-proclaimed life' and 'Why should we go on a hard path'.
However, OK Financial Group Chairman Choi Yoon is an entrepreneur who pays a lot of attention to the development of Korean sports, such as serving as the deputy head of the Korean team at the Hangzhou Asian Games and serving as the head of the Rugby Association. "I want to help develop professional volleyball."' explains that his inner thoughts led to an unconventional decision to escape the capital area.
It is also in line with OK Savings Bank's announcement of a new start by appointing a new head coach Shin Young-chul and recruiting a veteran Jeon Kwang-in ahead of the new season.
Although it is difficult to set up a clubhouse in Busan right now, OK Savings Bank has made it clear that it will seek to secure local infrastructure from a mid- to long-term perspective after consultation with local governments.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
