Son Seo-yeon of Sunmyeong Girls' High School, dubbed the "second Kim Yeon-koung," wins Future Star Award: "I will compete with skill rather than power on the world stage" [2026 Futures Star Awards]

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Son Seo-yeon (16, Sunmyeong Girls' High School), a top-tier prospect in Korean women's volleyball known as the "second Kim Yeon-koung," was honored with the Future Star Award in the volleyball category at the 2026 Futures Star Awards.

Son received the Future Star Award in the volleyball category at the ceremony for the "2026 Futures Star Awards (hosted and organized by StarNews, sponsored by the Korea Sports & Olympic Committee, National Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Baseball & Softball Federation, Korea Basketball Association, Korea Volleyball Association, Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., and Palseok Mijin)," held on the 26th in the press conference room on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Approximately 100 people attended the ceremony, including recipients, officials from sports associations, federations, and clubs, as well as selection committee members. Son was awarded a prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won. In her acceptance speech, Son said, "I am grateful to receive such a meaningful award. I will work even harder in the future and strive to become a better player."

An outside hitter standing 181 cm tall, Son has successively made waves on Asian and world stages since last year. In November of last year, at the 2025 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) U-16 Women's Asian Volleyball Championship held in Amman, Jordan, she led the national team to victory as captain, securing Korea's first championship title in 45 years. She scored a total of 141 points to win the scoring title, and also swept the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Outside Hitter awards.

Her momentum did not wane after advancing to high school. In March, she contributed to Sunmyeong Girls' High School's victory in the women's high school division at the National Middle and High School Spring Volleyball League. Then, at the 2026 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) U-17 Women's World Championship held in Chile in August, she left an even more powerful impression.

As captain of the U-17 women's national volleyball team, Son appeared in nine matches, recording 153 offensive points, 15 blocking points, and 11 service aces for a total of 179 points. With an average of 19.89 points per match, she tied for second place in tournament scoring. Korea also advanced by winning all five group stage matches, defeating the Philippines in the Round of 16, and ultimately finishing sixth, confirming its competitiveness on the world stage. Son also recorded a team-high 20 points in the fifth-place playoff against Italy.

However, what Son felt most strongly at the World Championship was not her own outstanding scoring ability, but the difference in physical conditions compared to world-class prospects.

After the ceremony, Son told reporters, "They were very different from Korean players. Their height and power were so different that it was fascinating. It became a motivation for me to work harder, so it was a good experience." She added, "I had heard that American players in our age group are really good, but I was a bit disappointed that I did not get the chance to play against them directly."

This did not shake her confidence. Rather, she discovered her own unique weapon that could work even on the world stage. Son stated, "I may be outmatched in power or height, but I think I am slightly better at techniques such as quick attacks and feints."

She continued, "Many balls come to me from the left side, and often they are not good balls. So I want to become a player who utilizes various techniques rather than just attacking with power." She explained, "Recently, my school coach has been teaching me diverse techniques, so I am practicing those aspects more."

She also candidly shared her concerns about her height. Son, who grew 1 to 2 cm since last year to reach 184 cm, said, "Because I am not tall, I want to further develop my speed and jumping power. However, just because I work hard does not mean I can always beat opponents in those areas, so I think I need to practice more techniques."

The sense of responsibility she felt as captain of the national team was also significant. Son said, "I tried my best because they trusted me and entrusted the role to me, but I feel like things did not go well in some ways. Still, my teammates helped me a lot. I am very grateful to them." She added, "Normally, I am a bit timid. But when playing sports, I seem to become very assertive and active."

Recently, she also contributed to Sunmyeong Girls' High School's victory at the National Sports Festival. This was an achievement that washed away the regret of finishing as runner-up in the previous championship match against Jungang Girls' High School. Son said, "We lost to Jungang Girls' High School before the National Sports Festival and finished second. I originally did not worry much, but I started to get a little worried after that." She added, "It was also our last tournament together with the upperclassmen, so I really wanted to win until the very end. We prepared extremely hard, and we were even happier because we won."

The rivalry with Jungang Girls' High School is also interesting. In particular, Park Seo-yoon (17, Jungang Girls' High School), who received the Future Star Award in the volleyball category at last year's Futures Star Awards, and Son are both receiving attention as prospects who will lead Korean women's volleyball. Son revealed, "Until the Category Championship, we had beaten them 3-0, so I thought we were a bit better. But after losing to them in the IBK Industrial Bank of Korea Cup and the championship match, I started to clearly view Jungang Girls' High School as a competitor."

Regarding Park Seo-yoon, she said, "Seo-yoon is quite tall, isn't she? I am not as tall as Seo-yoon, but I keep thinking that I need to work harder in other areas."

Son maintains her composure despite the surge of attention following her stellar performance at the World Championship. She emphasized, "I do not get carried away because of such things. When I go to school, I am just a player like any other, so I act as usual and try to train even harder."

<2026 Futures Star Awards> Ceremony

■ Date: October 26, 2026 (Mon) at 3 p.m.

■ Location: Press Conference Room, 19th Floor, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong University-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul)

■ Recipients and Prizes (Total 10 people)

◇ Baseball

Ha Hyun-seung (18, Kiwoom Heroes 1st round pick), 3rd year at Busan High School: Prize money of 3 million won

Lee Ho-min (18, KIA Tigers 1st round pick), 3rd year at Gyeongnam High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Soccer

An Ju-wan (17, Seoul E-Land FC), 2nd year at Sinpyeong High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

Jeong Hyeon-woong (18, FC Seoul), 3rd year at Osan High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Basketball

Yoon Ji-won (18), 3rd year at Gyeongbok High School: Prize money of 3 million won

Yoon Ji-hoon (18), 3rd year at Gyeongbok High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Volleyball

Son Seo-yeon (16), 1st year at Sunmyeong Girls' High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Golf

Yang Yun-seo (18), 3rd year at Incheon Girls' High School Affiliated Broadcasting & Open High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Skateboarding

Kang Jun-i (18), 3rd year at Yeongdeungpo High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Artistic Gymnastics

Hwang Seo-hyun (18), 3rd year at Incheon Sports High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

■ Selection Committee Members

Kim In-sik, former national team head coach (Selection Committee Chair), Cha Myeong-ju, Performance Improvement Committee Chair of the Korea Baseball & Softball Association (KBSA), Jung Min-hyuk, Head of Scouting Team at Hanwha Eagles, Kwon Do-young, Manager of Scouting Team at Kiwoom Heroes

Han Jun-hee, Commentator for Coupang Play, Son Seung-jun, Full-time Instructor for the Korea Football Association, Kwon Oh-gyu, Technical Director of Bucheon FC, Jeong Jae-yoon, Scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original