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| Kim Yeon-kyung (top left) and Heungkuk Life Insurance players. /Photo = KOVO |
Heungkuk Life, who went well, was hit by’school violence’. The only person who can fix the untidy team atmosphere is Kim Yeon-kyung (33), a spiritual proprietor. Kim Yeon-kyung’s leadership has become more important than ever.
Heungkuk Life Insurance is in the greatest crisis this season. The fact that the twin sisters of the national team, Lee Jae-young (25) and Lee Da-young (25), were former school violence perpetrators, caused a great controversy. Heungkuk Life Insurance suffered a complete defeat 0-3 during the Korea Expressway Corporation on the 11th while the two were absent. He fell into the first three consecutive losses of the season. Kim Yeon-kyung is the only hope to save the staggering Heungkuk life.
Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young are expected to be difficult to digest for the rest of the season. Both the club and the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) are reluctant to comment on disciplinary action, but it is impossible to skip it. An official from KOVO said carefully, “Once we are watching the club decision,” he said.
Professional baseball has imposed severe disciplinary withdrawal for’school violence’. In 2018, Ahn Woo-jin (Keeum) was suspended from the club’s own 50 games. The Korea Baseball Softball Association has decided to suspend the national team qualification for three years. According to the regulations of the Korean Sports Association, athletes who have been suspended for more than three years will be deprived of their qualifications for national team selection. In fact, it is a permanent expulsion from the national representative.
In 2020, there was a turmoil that NC withdrew the nomination of a rookie at all. NC canceled the enlistment when the past of Kim Yu-sung’s school violence was revealed.
Fans’ opinions toward twin sisters have also cooled down. A petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Bulletin, saying,’I urge you to investigate the facts of the school violence of female volleyball players and respond strictly to it.’ As of the 12th, the petition agreement is approaching 30,000.
Heungkuk Life’s championship race also lit red. Heungkuk Life Insurance is a relatively relaxed leader with 17 wins, 6 losses and 50 points as of the 5th round. With 7 games left, the difference is 8 points from GS Caltex (14-9, 42 points), which is second place. Assuming that the GS wins 7 matches, Heungkuk Life Insurance needs at least 13 points.
It would be easy if it was the existing power, but looking at the performance on the 11th, counter-threshing seems difficult. Lee Jae-young’s vacancy can be replaced to some extent by using backups such as Kim Mi-yeon and Park Hyun-joo, in addition to Kim Yeon-kyung and foreign player Bruna. However, the vacancy of Lee Da-young, the setter in charge of ball distribution, seems difficult to even take emergency measures right away.
The only corner that Heungkuk Life believes is now Kim Yeon-kyung. It should be used as an opportunity for the team to unite with Kim Yeon-kyung as the center. Kim Yeon-kyung emphasized the professional consciousness, saying, “As a professional player, you only have to stick to the duty you were on the court as a professional player,” without avoiding responsibility even when there was a disagreement within the team. It is a chance to prove their presence for players who have not received the opportunity. ‘World Class’ Kim Yeon-kyung draws attention on how to save Heungkuk Life just before aground.