Kim Yeon-koung’s national team retirement match on Friday

This is the last chance to see Kim Yeon-koung (36) playing under the Taegeuk symbol. The ‘Volleyball Empress’ Kim Yeon-koung’s national team retirement match will be held at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul at 2 p.m. on Saturday. This event match commemorates Kim's retirement from the national team, nearly three years after she stepped down from representing Korea following the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. It marks the first time that the Korea Volleyball Association is holding a national team retirement match for a player.

In the game, 20 former national team players and professional volleyball V-League players, including Yang Hyo-jin and Kim Su-ji, who retired from the national team alongside Kim, will participate. The players will wear special uniforms made in homage to past national team kits and will be divided into two squads, both named the ‘Korea Team,’ competing in a total of three sets. The first ‘Team Korea’ will be coached by Kim Hyeong-sil, the head coach during the 2012 London Olympics, and the second ‘Team Korea’ will be coached by Lee Jeong-cheol, who led the team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Following the game, a national team retirement ceremony will be held.

“I get emotional when I even mention the word retirement,” said Kim, who attended the preliminary press conference on Friday. “Representing the national team is a place where there is both pride and pressure.” Kim, who personally invited the players, said, “I hope this event goes well and that there are more positive events in the volleyball world. It will be a fun game.”


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com