Korea’s under-17 (U17) women’s volleyball team may have left Chile without a medal, but it brought home something arguably more valuable: the sign that a promising new generation is taking shape.
Korea lost 1-3 to Italy in a classification match at the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship in Santiago, Chile, on Sunday — the team’s second loss in the tournament, following its 1-3 defeat to Turkey in the quarterfinals on Friday. Korea finished sixth overall.
This year also marked the team’s first-ever appearance in the tournament, during which it met its initial goal of reaching the quarterfinals and finished its campaign on an encouraging note. The FIVB U17 World Championship launched in 2024.
Despite facing opponents nearly 10 centimeters (3.93 inches) taller on average, Korea’s players competed with confidence and made the most of their abilities. Captain and ace Son Seo-yeon of Sunmyung Girls’ High School was the tournament’s second-highest scorer, with 179 points.
Before the championship began, much of the spotlight had fallen on Son, who has been dubbed “the next Kim Yeon-koung.” Over her decorated 20-year career, Kim played in clubs in Japan, Turkey and China; won five V-League titles; and led Korea to the Olympic semifinals twice.
In the U17 Chilean tournament, the squad worked as a cohesive unit. Fresh from winning the continental title at the Asian U16 Women’s Volleyball Championship last year, each of the 14 players delivered solid performances.
“Every player deserves credit,” head coach Lee Seung-yeo said. “They all made a valuable contribution.”
The coaching staff also prioritized the players’ emotional well-being, not just their physical health, throughout their training. Mindful of how easily young people could be affected by online criticism, the staff asked them to stay offline as much as possible.
The players voluntarily handed over their phones until the end of the tournament, which was likely not an easy decision for players in their final year of middle school or first year of high school, for whom smartphones are an integral part of daily life.
With their phones out of sight, the players turned their attention to one another — a shift in focus that helped propel their impressive tournament run.
Korean women’s volleyball has fallen sharply from its former heights. After reaching the semifinals at the 2012 London and 2020 Tokyo Olympics with Kim and Yang Hyo-jin, the national team has struggled to find successors for Kim and Yang.
Last year, Korea was relegated after finishing last in the Volleyball Nations League. Its world ranking has also tumbled into the 40-range over the same period.
The domestic V League continues to draw big crowds and offer record salaries, but critics say that its booming popularity belies the declining quality of Korean volleyball.
The U17 women’s team’s breakthrough halfway around the world offered a much-needed glimmer of hope for the sport. Fans responded enthusiastically to the grit, passion and confidence shown by the players against opponents five to 10 centimeters taller.
Now, attention is already turning to what this generation could accomplish at the senior level in two or three years.
“I spent this tournament thinking about how to overcome blocks from two or three taller players,” Son said. “I’ll keep studying, training and getting stronger.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
