How well do you know Kim Yeon-koung?
Kim Yeon-koung is widely called the greatest Korean volleyball player ever. These six questions follow her 20-year career across four countries.
Did you know?
- Kim was so popular that in the 2024–25 season her team's home matches filled the top twelve places in the league's attendance rankings. Their average home crowd was nearly double the league average, and commentators worried about how the sport would keep fans after her retirement.
- In 2021 Kim became one of the few volleyball players to pass one million followers on Instagram. Her posts, often funny and down to earth, helped bring new fans to women's volleyball in Korea, Turkey and beyond, and she became a popular guest on television shows.
- Kim finished her Korean career with five league titles, won in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023 and 2025. The long gap in the middle reflects the many years she spent playing abroad, and it made her late-career titles with the Pink Spiders especially emotional for fans.
A career across four countries
Kim Yeon-koung was born in 1988 in Ansan, South Korea, and became a professional straight out of high school in 2005. Over 20 years she played in South Korea, Japan, Turkey and China, winning titles and individual awards in several leagues. Korean media often described her as a player who comes along once in a hundred years. She was also a leader off the court, captaining the national team and speaking up for better conditions for players.
Leaving home
After dominating the Korean league, Kim moved abroad in 2009, first to Japan's JT Marvelous and then, in 2011, to Fenerbahçe in Istanbul. At the time, few Asian players had succeeded in Europe's top leagues. In Turkey she won league titles and the Champions League, became one of the best-paid women in the sport and built a huge following among Turkish fans. She later played in China for Shanghai before returning to Korea.
Leading her country
For South Korea, Kim reached the Olympic semi-finals twice, at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, finishing fourth both times. At Tokyo she was one of her country's flag bearers at the opening ceremony. Her emotional leadership during the team's surprise run to the semi-finals, including victories over higher-ranked teams, drew record television audiences in Korea. She retired from international volleyball after those Games.
The final season
Kim announced in February 2025 that she would retire at the end of the season, even though she was still one of the league's best players. Her farewell games sold out across Korea, and her team's home matches drew by far the biggest crowds in the league. After winning the championship she said she had always imagined finishing at the top, holding the trophy. A special all-star exhibition series was later held in her honour.