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Volleyball vet Yang Hyo-jin ready to 'end it on a high note'

Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 12:59 Updated: 04 Mar. 2026, 14:00

Volleyball player Yang Hyo-jin is named MVP of the January All-Star Game. [YONHAP]

Yang Hyo-jin, a longtime star of Korean women’s volleyball, will retire at the end of this season, closing a 19-year playing career.

Yang had decided to end her career after lengthy deliberation, the Hyundai Engineering & Construction volleyball team announced Tuesday.

Yang made her V-League debut in the 2007-08 season and has played her entire pro career with the club.

She has appeared in 564 matches, tallying 8,354 points, 1,735 blocks and 364 service aces. She was named an All-Star 17 times and selected to the Best 7 12 times, establishing herself as one of the league’s top middle blockers.

Yang also left her mark with the national team, helping elevate Korea’s standing on the international stage, including semifinal runs at the London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Yang Hyo-jin is named to the V-League women’s all-time Best 7 for the league’s 20th anniversary in 2025. [YONHAP]

“I sincerely thank the fans who have supported me without wavering since 2007, as well as the club that has always been a steady pillar for me,” Yang said in a statement released by Hyundai E&C. “I will finish the rest of the season with pride and do my best to end it on a high note.”

The club will hold a retirement ceremony for Yang after its final home match of the regular season against Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers next Sunday.

“Yang Hyo-jin’s footprint on this team is more valuable than anything else. We plan to see her off with the best respect befitting her dedication,” a club official said.

BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [[email protected]]