"I have a lot of difficult questions today. Hahaha."
'Volleyball star' Kim Yeon-kyung has chosen to return to the domestic league after a year.
And on the 8th, a press conference for her return was held in Hongcheon, Gangwon-do, where the women's volleyball summer match was held.
Many media visited the press conference to the extent that the conference room of the Hongcheon-gun Athletic Association was full.
Numerous questions were asked during the 40-minute press conference, and Kim Yeon-kyung expressed her thoughts with the utmost sincerity.
Kim Yeon-kyung first explained the reason for her return to Korea after a year, she mentioned the word 'retirement'.
"It's still a cautious story, but there was a direction I had to go in the future, and when I considered that direction, I thought, 'I have to return to Korea. After much thought, I came to Korea. Of course, I'm not retiring. Don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong."
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If Kim Yeon-kyung successfully completes the 2022-2023 season at Heungkuk Life Insurance, she will receive the 'domestic free agent' qualification, which has been waiting for 11 years.
For players, 'FA' is like a kind of 'commendation'.
Because he doesn't get sick, and after maintaining his skills he gets the right to choose his team.
Interest is high enough that there are rumors about the destination of FA Kim Yeon-kyung, who has already finished the new season.
Kim Yeon-kyung was also conscious of FA.
“When I went abroad for the first time, I thought, ‘I wish I could fill the six-year period. I am happy to be able to fill the 2020-2021 season and 2022-2023 season). I know that if I play this season, I will become a free agent. I can't help thinking about the free agent."
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In 2020, when Corona was severe, Kim Yeon-kyung chose to return to Korea after 11 years.
At that time, Heungkuk Life Insurance, with twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young, and Kim Yeon-kyung, immediately emerged as a candidate for the championship.
However, in February of the following year, the twin sisters' school violence controversy broke out, and Heungkuk Life began to crash as the two players left the court.
Kim Yeon-kyung struggled, but lost to GS Caltex and stayed runners-up.
Last season, Kim Yeon-kyung advanced to Shanghai, China, and Heungkuk Life couldn't make up for the weakened power and placed 6th out of 7 teams.
For the upcoming new season, Heungkuk Life has appointed Kwon Soon-chan as the new head coach and is preparing for a new start.
Kim Yeon-kyung was confident of her chemistry with director Kwon Soon-chan.
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"I think the director is a bit blunt when he says he's a 'Busan man', and he has a 'manly man' side, so I think he's telling the story quite firmly. It's good for me to talk about directions and things like that. I had a meeting with the manager, and I had a good interview and heard the story. I thought that I was preparing well.
Of course, I don't think winning the championship will be that easy. There is also Hyundai E&C that won last year, and the top teams such as Korea Highway Corporation and GS Caltex are doing very well, so I think there will be difficulties. Anyway, we will prepare well for each other and show our best side.”
As the press conference progressed, the topic naturally changed to the national team.
Kim Yeon-kyung took off her national team uniform at the end of last year's Tokyo Olympics.
The women's volleyball team appointed manager Cesar Hernandez after breaking up with coach Stefano Lavarini, and prepared a 'post-Kim Yeon-kyung era' while building a new national team.
However, the new start was disastrous.
The women's volleyball team lost 12 matches in the recently ended Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
It looked like he couldn't keep up with the world volleyball trend toward all-round play.
The reporters asked Kim Yeon-kyung, 'Advice to the juniors of the national team', 'Have you talked with coach Cesar', 'How did you feel while watching the propaganda in Japan, Thailand, and China?'
He continued to ask questions about the national team.
Kim Yeon-kyung gave heartfelt advice.
“I watched all Asian teams’ games such as Thailand, China, and Japan. I definitely felt the team’s color and volleyball style. I think I felt that way more because the three countries showed good performances in VNL and they were at odds with us.
There are many countries that pursue fast volleyball and play it that way. Many countries such as Brazil and the United States are playing fast volleyball, In the end, I think the direction we need to go is that volleyball has to be that fast to compete on the world stage. Coach Cesar is preparing like that, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a long time, so prepare well. must do."
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At the same time, he emphasized the overseas expansion of juniors.
“In Thailand, most of the main players are overseas players. The Thai league is not a high-level league, so it is a case of going abroad. When you experience and learn volleyball in a developed country, when you combine that, you will become a strong team. Thailand seems to be a good example right now. In Japan, the league level itself is very high and the level of foreign players is also high, so it seems that the world level is maintained. I want players to experience volleyball in developed countries a little more."
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Kim Yeon-kyung's annual salary is 700 million won, which is the maximum amount a female player can receive.
As Kim Yeon-kyung's annual salary became known, her fans voiced 'too small' and 'the salary cap should be removed'.
Kim Yeon-kyung has also expressed a negative attitude toward her salary cap on social media in the past.
When reporters asked about her salary cap, she said, "I have a lot of hard questions today," she said.
"Anyway, it is true that there is a lot of difference in the salary cap between the women's and men's clubs. I think 'there is too much difference', but I don't know how the change will come. I don't know if there is a budget, but I think it would be nice if the players were treated better and they played volleyball in a good environment. The environment is much better than when I started volleyball. Because this is a given, I hope that players will play with that responsibility and practice.”
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The reason Kim Yeon-kyung was asked 'difficult questions' is because she still has a lot of influence on Korean volleyball beyond women's volleyball.
One word of Kim Yeon-kyung's words can be article and public opinion is formed.
Her Kim Yeon-kyung is also well aware of her own influence.
She, however, was 'as it should be', and at her press conference, she spared no words in her beliefs.
Kim Yeon-kyung, who is not yet 100% in her physical condition, will start making her full-fledged body from today for the KOVO Cup scramble to be held in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do next month.