‘Volleyball Empress’ Kim Yeon-kyung (Heungkuk Life Insurance), who won the MVP trophy in the regular league unanimously for the second time in history, announced her intention to extend her active service.

Kim Yeon-kyung answered a question related to her active service extension at a press conference after the professional volleyball 2022-2023 season ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 10th, “I’m thinking of doing a little more now. I think positively.” .

Kim Yeon-kyung revealed that she was contemplating her retirement in February, and after the recent championship match, she said she was “talking with a lot of people about her retirement and her retirement.”

Kim Yeon-kyung, who had repeatedly worried about her, virtually withdrew her intention to retire that day.

Kim Yeon-kyung, who qualified as a free agent (FA) after the end of this season, also revealed the criteria for finding her new team.

“I want to join a team that can win the championship,” he said. In addition, he drew a line about whether to re-enter the overseas market, saying, “I will retire in Korea.”

The free agency negotiation period started on the 9th and will continue for the next two weeks.

Kim Yeon-kyung’s destination is expected to be the biggest issue in off-season professional volleyball.

The following is a Q&A with Kim Yeon-kyung.

— How do you feel about winning MVP by unanimous vote?

▲ I am honored. Looking back, there were many difficult moments. I think I received a good award because my colleagues helped me.

— After receiving the award, you expressed your feelings that you would not be able to say what you wanted to say. What is it about?

▲ In the championship game, Korea Expressway Corporation players performed a smoke screen operation. Everyone said it was difficult because they were old. In Game 3, (veteran middle blocker) Jeong Dae-young said that her ankle had turned and sat down, but she turned the other way and got up. (Laughter) As expected, veteran players seem to have good mental strength. Everyone tried hard, but they flew around. I had a really tough game. I wanted to tell you this story.

— What are your thoughts on extending your active service and retirement?

▲ I want to do a little more. Think positively. We are negotiating with our team.

— What made you decide to extend your active duty?

▲ The thought of retiring was not a sudden thing this season. I’ve been thinking about retirement for a while. It seems that things got bigger after answering related questions in the interview after the game. I was a little perplexed. After the retirement announcement came out, many people said that it was not the time to retire yet. So did the family. If I had a major injury, I would have seriously considered retiring, but I’m still fine. In terms of skills, I still feel good. Hearing this story made me think a lot. That’s why it seems that the active duty extension was a little more.

— As a free agent, is there a standard for deciding on a new team?

▲ I couldn’t win the combined championship. very desperate To be honest, we didn’t have high expectations for our team this season, but we achieved good results. After finishing first in the regular season and missing the combined championship, the desire for the combined championship grew.

— Aren’t close players talking about running together?

▲ There are some players. (Laughter) First of all, I am thinking more about the combined championship (a team that can do this).

— If the criterion for the contract is the possibility of an integrated championship, it seems that the trend of each team’s strength reinforcement will also affect the contract decision.

▲ It seems so. You need to consider the team’s vision. It is also important what (each team) thinks and what kind of volleyball they want. In fact, professional volleyball has a salary cap (upper limit on total salary), so there are many restrictions. Because of this, there are many things to consider.

— If it’s a salary cap problem, do you have any intention of giving up your treatment and signing with a good team? 먹튀검증

▲ It is possible. Even if the terms of the contract are lowered, it is possible if the team has the power to win. However, there are negative views on signing a contract with a lower salary. I do not know.

— Out of the 7 clubs, are there many clubs you want to go to?

▲ I didn’t get as many calls as I thought. (Laughter) Is this a question asking you to disclose the number of teams you have contacted? There seems to be a problem with the contract. I won’t disclose it. (laugh)

— Do you have any plans to go abroad again?

▲ I had a conversation with Heungkuk Life coach Marcello Abondanza. The director asked if he had any plans to go abroad again since his skills were still good. But as he got older, he wanted to play in Korea. Living abroad is very difficult. He doesn’t even have much time to spend with domestic fans. I want to finish well in Korea.

— Usually free agents sign a three-year contract, do you intend to play for all three years?

▲ I don’t think about 3 years. I think I have to think about (whether to extend my active duty) every year. However, the contract team has a compensation issue, so we need to think about that part as well.