“Volleyball Empress” Kim Yeon-kyung (Heungkuk Life Insurance) will play with the national flag for the last time.

Kim’s agency, Ryan At, will host the “KYK Invitational 2024” invited by Kim at Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul from June 8-9. Kim and several other players will play their final national event matches, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also showcase the world’s first all-star volleyball tournament in Korea.

The “KYK Invitational 2024” with the slogan “Not end, but and” will be joined by domestic players who led the golden age of the Korean women’s volleyball team. World-class former and current female volleyball players, who boasted of their cross-border friendship with Kim Yeon-koung, also plan to visit Korea in response to Kim Yeon-koung’s invitation.

The event will open on June 7 with Media Day and the eve of the event. On the 8th, the first day of the official schedule, a national event game hosted by the Korea Volleyball Association and a retirement ceremony for the national team will be held. On the 9th, the World Women’s Volleyball All-Star Game hosted by Ryan Atte will be held.

The event will be available through NFTs and general tickets. NFT ticket buyers will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets first and purchase limited-edition digital and physical goods.

Existing KYK Foundation digital membership members can purchase NFT tickets first through the FNCY digital goods platform from the 8th to the 9th. Starting from the 10th, regular fans can also purchase NFT tickets. Regular tickets are scheduled to open on May 20.

Meanwhile, Kim is agonizing over whether to extend her active career after the end of this season. “I will take a break for the time being and think about it,” Kim told her team Heungkuk Life Insurance.

It is regrettable that the team was not able to quench its thirst for victory. Last season, Heungkuk Life Insurance won the championship title by ranking first in the regular season league. It had a showdown with Korea Expressway Corporation in the championship, secured victory in the first and second rounds, and lost in the third, fourth and fifth rounds. It missed the championship due to a painful reverse sweep. Kim had to be satisfied with winning the fifth MVP award in the regular season league, which is the most in the V-League, and the best seven outside heaters award.

After the end of the 2022-2023 season, Kim agonized over whether to retire. She has decided to play for one more year. After becoming the first free agent in Korea, she emphasized winning the title. “I missed the unified title this season, which was a huge blow,” Kim said at the time. “I want to choose a team that can achieve my goal. I felt desperate, so I want to try again to win the title.”

Kim has partnered with Heungkuk Life Insurance again. The contract period was one year, and the total compensation was 775 million won (annual salary of 475 million won and option of 300 million won), the upper limit of women’s compensation for the 2023-2024 season.

The team had another chance to win the title this season. Heungkuk Life Insurance, which finished second in the league, defeated third-ranked Jeonggwanjang by 2-1 in the playoff. It faced Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was ranked first in the championship. It lost its third consecutive game after a full-set struggle in both the first and third rounds. It lost the trophy to Hyundai Engineering & Construction.

Kim is agonizing over whether to stay on the court again or leave the court. She signed a one-year contract with Heungkuk Life Insurance last year, but failed to become a free agent after the end of this season.

According to Article 8 of the Korea Volleyball Federation’s Free Agent Management Regulations, “FA qualification re-acquired,” FA players will be eligible for FA qualification again after three seasons of the regular season. If more than 40 percent of all regular league games are played every season (even if a player is replaced only in one rally, it is recognized as a one-game trip), it will be recognized as the end of one season. Kim Yeon-koung spent one season at Heungkuk Life Insurance after signing a FA contract, and needs to play two more seasons to re-acquire FA qualification.

Attention is focusing on Kim Yeon-koung’s choice. If Kim Yeon-koung chooses to retire, Heungkuk Life Insurance should reinforce its outside heater, which will take the center stage in the FA market and others this year. 스포츠중계