'Drunk driving' An Hye-jin becomes FA free agent, 'National team setter and championship winner' ignored... 18 of 23 players sign contracts, 'Pyo Seung-ju's return' draws attention

*This content was translated by AI.

The ripple effects of an irreversible wrong action were beyond imagination. Although she gained free agent (FA) status, no one reached out to An Hye-jin (28), who was involved in a drunk driving accident.

The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) announced the FA contract results on the 21st. With the negotiation period concluding, the final FA contract results were made public. An Hye-jin remained unsigned, along with her Seoul GS Caltex teammate Woo Su-min and Daejeon Gungnam's Ahn Ye-rim.

Championship-winning setter An Hye-jin was caught by police while driving under the influence on the 16th and underwent investigation. Subsequently, on the 17th, she posted a handwritten apology on her social networking service (SNS) account. "I deeply apologize for causing trouble through drunk driving. This incident was entirely my fault and a reckless act with no room for justification," she apologized.

As a result of this fallout, An Hye-jin, who was excluded from the women's national volleyball team roster announced on the 18th, also faced rejection in the FA market.

An Hye-jin, a starting setter who contributed to South Korea's quarterfinal advance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, had recently struggled due to frequent injuries but played a decisive role in GS Caltex's championship victory in the latter half of this season, raising her value. However, she ended up undermining herself.

With the drunk driving incident confirmed, An Hye-jin will be unable to play for the national team for at least two years. According to regulations by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the Volleyball Association, a fine of 0.5 billion won or more for drunk driving results in a three-year suspension from national team eligibility, while a fine under 0.5 billion won leads to a two-year suspension. The problem is that she must spend the season as an inactive player. Due to an irreversible mistake, she has brought about a crisis in her athletic career.

Of the 23rd players who entered this FA market, 18 signed contracts. Only one player, middle blocker Jung Ho-young (from Incheon Heungkuk Life), moved to a different team after playing for Gungnam. He transferred for a total compensation of 540 million won (base salary of 420 million won and an option of 120 million won).

Heungkuk Life, which acquired Jung Ho-young from Group A, must pay Gungnam either 200% of last season's salary plus one protected player or 300% of last season's salary.

The largest contract was signed by setter Kim Da-in, who remained with Suwon Hyundai E&C alongside Jung Ho-young, for 540 million won.

After becoming a free agent in last year's FA market and declaring retirement, Pyo Seung-ju transformed into an entertainer and commentator. He signed with Gungnam for a total compensation of 200 million won (base salary of 160 million won and an option of 0.4 billion won), then moved to Heungkuk Life via a sign-and-trade deal. In exchange for these terms, Heungkuk Life agreed to give Gungnam the first-round draft pick in the 2026 rookie draft and receive the second-round pick in return.

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*This content was translated by AI.