Kim Yeon-koung re-signs with Pink Spiders on one-year, 775-million-won deal

Kim Yeon-koung, left, thanks head coach Marcello Abbondanza after receiving the 2022-23 V League season best seven award at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul on April 10. [NEWS1]

Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung signed a one-year, 775-million-won ($590,000) contract extension with the Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders on Sunday, rejoining the club after earning free agency for the first time in her career last week.

Kim, the reigning V League MVP, will earn 475 million won in annual salary and 300 million won in incentives.

Kim, 35, won her fourth league title with the Pink Spiders during the 2022-23 V League season. The Incheon side, however, failed to take the championship after dropping three straight games to lose 3-2 to Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass.

Although she briefly hinted at retirement after the championship series, Kim opted to continue playing and stay in Korea.

“It was my first time earning free agency, so I had to think a lot,” Kim said in a video posted on the Pink Spiders’ official YouTube channel on Sunday. “I think conversations with the head coach made me reconsider. After understanding the head coach’s vision and plans for the team, I got excited about the upcoming season with the team and it made me think ‘I want to give it another shot with the Pink Spiders.’”

Head coach Marcello Abbondanza, who took charge of the Pink Spiders in February when the team was at the top of the table, maintained that momentum and led his side to the league title.

Before joining the Pink Spiders, Abbondanza coached multiple Turkish teams, Italian teams and national teams.

He had previously coached Kim at Fenerbahce Sports Club in the Turkish league from 2013 to 2017, during which he won the league twice.

Abbondanza did not have enough time to embed his style of play into his squad this season as he only coached the team for a little over two months. With Kim in the squad for the upcoming season, however, Abbondanza can further implement his vision.

“We will work hard and prepare well in order to win the championship title next season after narrowly missing it this season,” Kim said on Sunday.

Kim’s career spans 18 years, but the Pink Spiders remain the only V League team she has ever played for.

She first started her career with the Pink Spiders in 2005, but moved overseas to play in Japan, Turkey and China. She returned to the V League in 2020 for one season, automatically rejoining the Pink Spiders as the Incheon club still held her contract rights in the domestic league.

Kim then jetted off to Shanghai after the 2021 season to join the Shanghai Bright Ubest Women's Volleyball Club, returning to the team four years after she led it to the top of the Chinese Super League in the 2017-18 season to snap a 17-year drought.

Kim rejoined the Pink Spiders again ahead of the 2022-23 season and significantly contributed to her team’s success as she managed 669 points total with the highest success rate at 45.76 percent in the league.

Throughout her career with the Pink Spiders, Kim has won the league four times, in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2023, and the championship three times, in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]