Lee Woo-jin (18, left), the first Korean high school player to play in a European league, poses for a photo with Kim Yeon-kyung’s agent, Im Geun-hyuk (right) of I.M.
Sports Consulting, who helped him at Incheon International Airport before his departure for Italy on Friday.
Young Jong-do=Yonhap
Lee Woo-jin (18, Gyeongbuk Cheongo) is the first Korean high school volleyball player to go directly to a European league.
Before boarding a flight to Italy on Friday, Lee told Yonhap News Agency, “I am very grateful to Kim Yeon-kyung. I will repay her by becoming a great player,” he said.
“I’ve never met Kim Yeon-kyung in person, but I’ve always admired her,” he said, adding, “She helped me a lot this time.
I think the way to repay her is to grow into a player who can help Korean volleyball. I want to emulate Kim Yeon-kyung, who is one of the best players in the world.”
Lee competed as an outside hitter for the Korean National Youth Team at the U19 World Volleyball Championship in Argentina in August.
At the tournament, South Korea finished third for the first time in 30 years, and Lee was named to the Best 7.
After watching him play, an Italian agent suggested, “Why don’t you play for Monza in the Italian League?”
The youth national team’s interpreter helped by acting as a bridge between Lee and the Italian agent.
However, the interpreter was not a sports expert, so his role was limited.
Lee’s mother, Im Ok, remembered Kim Yeon-kyung, a longtime player in the top women’s volleyball league, Turkkiye, and cautiously asked the youth national team coach, “Can Kim give me some advice?”
“When I reached out to her, I didn’t expect her to answer because I knew she was an active player and was busy with her own work, so I was just really grasping at straws and asked the coach, ‘Can I ask her for some advice,'” Im recalls. 먹튀검증
Kim responded immediately. She put her agent, IM Consulting CEO Lim Geun-hyeok, in touch with Lee’s parents to provide “practical help” to the athlete.
Mr. Lim told them about overseas leagues such as the European League, but since this was the first time he had interacted with the Italian agent who had contacted him, he first verified his identity.
After confirming his identity, she contacted the Italian agent and explained the terms of the deal to him and his parents in detail.
Ms. Im was grateful for the help and wanted to compensate for some of the ‘agent’s fee’, but Mr. Lim politely declined, saying, “I’m just happy that a promising Korean volleyball player has a chance to play in a new stage.”
“For our family, Mr. Lim and Ms. Kim are very gracious, and they don’t accept even the smallest gifts,” said Ms. Im. “I don’t think my son Woo Jin-i made it to Italy on his own.
I hope he will grow into a good player who can repay Mr. Lim and Ms. Kim.”
On the 15th, Lee Woo-jin boarded a plane to join Vero Valle Monza in the Italian First Division.
