Kim Yeon-koung, after receiving the 2025 Player of the Year award at the Korea Sports Press Union Awards ceremony held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 8th, is interviewed by reporters. Yonhap News

Retired volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung (37) stood on stage as a "player."

Kim Yeon-koung received the 2025 Player of the Year award at the Korea Sports Press Union Awards ceremony held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 8th.

Kim Yeon-koung, met after the awards ceremony, smiled and said, "I retired in April of this year (after the 2024-2025 season V-League ended), so quite some time has passed, but I received an award as a player. I think this will be the last award I receive as a player. It's a great honor."

Kim Yeon-koung was a world-renowned star player.

She played in Korea, Japan, and Europe, and was named the regular season MVP seven times in the V-League.

Eight months after her retirement, Kim Yeon-koung, who received the 'Player of the Year Award,' promised, "My career as a player concludes like this. In the future, I will do meaningful work for my juniors and for the development of sports, including volleyball."

Coincidentally, on this day, Incushee, an outside hitter from Mongolia known as 'Kim Yeon-koung's favored disciple' among volleyball fans, joined KGC as an Asian quarter player in the V-League women's division.

KGC terminated its contract with Wipawee Srithong, who had not recovered from her injury, and selected Incushee as a replacement player.

Incushee had applied for the KOVO Asian Quarter Draft this season but was not selected at the time and played for Darkhan Munguls in the Mongolian Premier League.

Additionally, she recently formed a mentor-mentee relationship with Kim Yeon-koung on a recently concluded volleyball variety show.

Incushee gained recognition from the general public as a key outside hitter for Wonderdogs, led by Kim Yeon-koung as coach.

Kim Yeon-koung said, "It feels good to see the players who played with me at Wonderdogs enter the professional league. I hope they gain strength from the support of many people and perform even better. Incushee has joined a professional team as she wished, so I hope she does her best to survive the competition."

Kim Yeon-koung being interviewed. Yonhap News

The V-League worried about a decline in popularity after Kim Yeon-koung's retirement.

However, viewership ratings are still similar to last season.

Kim Yeon-koung said, "I'm glad that Korean volleyball's popularity hasn't declined yet. I hope many fans will show interest in our volleyball."

It is inevitable that the international competitiveness of the Korean women's national team will decline.

Nevertheless, 'post-Kim Yeon-koung candidates' are emerging, such as Son Seo-yeon (15, Gyeonghae Girls' Middle School), who led Korea to win the U-16 Asian Championship.

Kim Yeon-koung joked, "It seems my name is used as a modifier too often," but added, "It's positive that juniors called 'Little Kim Yeon-koung' and 'The Second Kim Yeon-koung' are appearing frequently. I hope more of them appear," supporting her juniors.

Kim Yeon-koung, who operates a foundation to help promising athletes, supports club management as an advisor for Heungkuk Life, and also took on the role of 'coach' in a variety show, has not yet finalized her 'career path.'

She said, "I briefly experienced coaching through a variety show, and it was a truly difficult position. I am currently trying out various fields. Right now, I want to gain diverse experiences."