Park Cheol-woo, V-KOREA's key "teamwork," got a hint from his daughter: "Woo Seung-gwa (왕) is the goal... We will work through it as a team" [Gwanghwamun On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Cheol-woo (41), appointed as the fifth head coach of Woori Card Woori WON, set his goal of securing the team's first-ever championship within his tenure, citing teamwork as his key strength.

Coach Park Cheol-woo expressed his sentiments at the inauguration ceremony held on the 16th at the Korea Press Center located in Taepyeong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, stating, "I am Park Cheol-woo, the coach of Woori Card. I would like to thank Chairman Jin Seong-won, Director General Lee In-bok, and the Woori Card office for arranging this occasion. I will take this as a sign that I am expected to do even better."

Woori Card Volleyball Club officially announced on the 11th that it has appointed Park Cheol-woo as the club's fifth head coach, succeeding him as interim coach. The contract term is three years, and the detailed terms were not disclosed, as agreed upon between the club and the coach.

He is the youngest head coach in the club's history. No volleyball industry officials expressed dissent regarding his appointment. Despite being named head coach suddenly following the mutual termination of last year's contract with former coach Mauricio Paes in December, Coach Park Cheol-woo led Our Card to the spring volleyball playoffs with an 8-game road winning streak and a 14-4 record in the 18th games played in the second half of the season.

At the inauguration ceremony, attended by team officials including OurCard Chairman Jin Seong-won and Director Lee In-bok, along with numerous media personnel, the first official act was the signing of the head coach's contract. Chairman Jin Seong-won presented the contract and the OurCard team emblem, while also preparing a surprise gift that created a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Following this, Director Lee In-bok handed over an OurCard employee ID card. Also in attendance were sisters Park So-yul (13) and Park Si-ha (10), who play volleyball alongside their mother, Shin Hye-in (41), and their father, presenting a bouquet of flowers.

Coach Shin Chi-yong (71), a legend of Korean volleyball and the father-in-law of the coach, who could not attend the event that day, sent a congratulatory message to Coach Park early in the morning. Coach Park said, "My father-in-law always tells me to remain humble. This morning, he also sent me a congratulatory message, and I believe that short message carries great meaning. I live every day with gratitude, reflecting on those brief words."

Coach Park Cheol-woo is one of the star coaches making a name for himself amid the recent trend of foreign coaches dominating the volleyball scene. As a founding member of the V-League during his playing career, he appeared in 564 games over 19 seasons, scoring a total of 6,623 points and winning seven championship rings, establishing himself as a legend. He transitioned from a commentator to a coach, then to an acting head coach, before becoming a full head coach in just two years.

Coach Park said, "Since I came to the professional league, they have always exceeded my expectations. I thought that during my playing days, I was rushing to meet others' expectations, but now it seems to have become a great strength. I believe I have learned a lot from their ability to adapt quickly and respond strongly to situations." He added, "I still cannot forget the day I was offered the interim head coach position. It remains vividly in my memory. Ultimately, if I was to take on the role, I felt I had to bear all the responsibility, so I accepted the interim head coach position. After the season ended, I received a formal offer to become the head coach and Jeong Mal (Auditor). I accepted with a grateful heart, as they trusted me and allowed me to remain as a member of this wonderful team."

Recently, the V-League has frequently appointed foreign head coaches to keep pace with the international trend in volleyball. Indeed, the men's championship final this season featured a head-to-head match between foreign coaches, and the last domestic coach to win the title was Choi Tae-woong, who led Hyundai Capital in the 2018–2019 season—seven years ago. In this context, Coach Park Cheol-woo has issued a challenge.

If they succeed in winning the championship finals, it will be a historic first for the franchise. Since its inception in 2008, Woori Card has yet to secure a regular-season top ranking or a championship title. Their achievements are limited to two runner-up finishes in the 2020–2021 and 2023–2024 seasons, along with two KOVO Cup victories in 2015 and 2021. Coach Park stated, "There are many foreign coaches currently in the V-League. They are all world-class masters, and I have learned a great deal from former coach Paes and from opposing team coaches." However, he also emphasized, "I believe there are many excellent coaches in Korea. Young coaches are actively seeking to learn even when going abroad, so I want to say they are fully competitive."

He also said, "When I was appointed as coach, I received many congratulations from senior and junior colleagues, and I heard most often that I should be thanked for showing that a domestic coach can do it. Therefore, I feel that my future actions and the way I lead the team could influence other fans and the club. I vow to serve as a coach with exemplary conduct, always being upright, taking the lead, and striving to be an excellent person."

The core of Park Cheol-woo's volleyball philosophy was "together." He sought to emulate only the strengths of the mentors he had served under, while finding hints for defining his own approach to volleyball from his daughter. Coach Park explained, "I was a lucky player, and I am now becoming a lucky coach. I have always loved new experiences and wanted to learn as much as possible. At first, I learned a great deal about Italian volleyball while working with Coach Kim Ho-cheol. My father-in-law, Coach Shin Chi-yong, often spoke about volleyball based on division of labor, systems, and responsibility, and I realized just how much volleyball could evolve in a systematic way."

He continued, "In fact, when I came here today, I had prepared to share what ideal volleyball I envision. However, this morning, my eldest child asked, 'What is the value of "together"?' Hearing that, I realized that the first thing is teamwork, and the second thing is also teamwork. The best strategy for volleyball played together as a team is teamwork. I believe that we win as a team and lose as a team. Regardless of which players are involved or which team it is, my dream is to build a WooCard volleyball team that ultimately moves forward as a team," he emphasized.

Thus, he hoped that from Our Card's first championship in the club's history, he would eventually realize the dream he could not achieve during his playing days. Coach Park smiled, saying, "I'd like to share my dream after I've achieved it, but since dreams are meant to be dreamed, please just consider it a dream." He continued, "Even as a player, I lived with an incredibly ambitious dream. I worked hard, hoping that if I put in the effort, I might at least come close to it. When someone asked me if becoming a coach was my goal, I thought, 'If that's my dream, it would be too disappointing.'"

At some point, he set his ultimate goal of leading the Korean national team to reclaim the Asian title and win the country's first Olympic medal in volleyball. Even during the last Asian Games where Korean volleyball won gold (2006), Coach Park did not have the opportunity. Coach Park said, "As a player, I dreamed of winning an Olympic medal. I also wanted to win a medal at the Asian Games. Realizing the dreams I couldn't achieve as a player with my current players is my dream." He added, "First, our goal is to win the championship with Our Card. Then, I will do my utmost to help Our Card establish a dynasty."

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*This content was translated by AI.