18 people including Park Eun-jin and Lee Joo-ah, including the biggest fish, “Saw So Sisters,” are qualified as FA

Even before Hyundai Engineering & Construction enjoyed the joy of winning the integrated title, the FA market was held in 2024.

The Korea Volleyball Federation announced on its official website on the 4th the list and supply of 18 players who have qualified as FA after the 2023-2024 season. The 18 players who have qualified as FA can proceed with FA negotiations and contracts against seven clubs from the 4th to the 17th at 6 p.m. However, if the club recruits an A-rated FA, the list of six protected players must be presented by 12 p.m. on the 18th, and the original team of the transferred FA player can nominate a compensation player by 6 p.m. on the 21st.

In the FA market, players who earn more than 100 million won 865,052 U.S. dollars a year as of the 2023-2024 season are classified as A-rated. A team that recruits A-rated players must pay 200 percent of its annual salary for the entire season, one compensating player in addition to six protected players, or 300 percent of its annual salary for the entire season to its original team. B-rated players with an annual salary of 50 million won or more and less than 100 million won 865,052 dollars can pay 300 percent of their annual salary for the entire season without compensating players. In this year’s FA market, 13 A-rated players and five B-rated players have no C-rated players who earn less than 50 million won a year.

The second is Soyoung, who wants to make a great deal

This year’s FA market’s biggest fish are Lee So-young and Kang So-hwi, the “Soso sisters” who led GS Caltex KIXX’s treble in the 2020-2021 season. Lee So-young, who wore the uniform of the Jeonggwanjang Red Sparks on an exceptional condition of an annual salary of 1.95 billion won for a three-year contract period in April 2021, played an active role as the Jeonggwanjang’s native ace, scoring 377 points in the 2021-2022 season and 457 points in the 2022-2023 season. However, he had a somewhat disappointing season this season, scoring only 215 points in 26 games due to shoulder and ankle injuries.

Lee’s biggest strength is that she is also an “airborne illness.” Having scored 1,049 points in the past three seasons since moving to Jeonggwanjang, Lee has displayed outstanding defense skills in three consecutive seasons, with more than 40 percent receiving efficiency and more than 3.5 digs per set. As she suffered a shoulder injury and an ankle injury at the end of the 2022-2023 season, it is uncertain whether she will be able to win an ultra-large contract like the one in 2021, but the team recruiting Lee could greatly ease the concerns of outside heaters.

Kang So-hwi, a franchise star who has never left GS Caltex since his professional debut in 2015, has also become a free agent for the second time in his career. When Lee So-young moved to Jeonggwanjang, he signed a three-year FA contract with GS Caltex to earn a total of 1.5 billion won 1.5 million U.S. dollars and displayed outstanding attack capability by scoring 1,256 points during the three seasons after his FA contract. Most of all, Kang’s biggest strength is that he is still only 26 years old even though he is a mid-sized player who spent nine seasons as a professional player.

The winner of this season’s Hyundai E&C Hillstate, Jung Ji-yoon, has become a free agent for the first time in his career. While Jung did not meet expectations by scoring 254 points with 34.09 percent of attack success rate in the regular season, he contributed to Hyundai E&C’s victory by scoring 34 points with 44.93 percent of success rate in the match against Champion. Although Jung is still considered to be “incomplete” in terms of sub-receiving and defense, he is a young outside heater born in 2001 with strong potential for development, and can easily drool in many teams.

In addition, Park Hye-min, who filled the vacancy when Lee So-young was absent due to injury this season, and Kim Mi-yeon, captain of Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders, Kim Joo-hyang and Choi Eun-ji, who played as backup outside heaters at Hyundai Engineering & Construction and GS Caltex, were qualified as FA side by side. It is difficult to expect a good contract because Lee So-young, Kang So-hwi and Jung Ji-yoon, who can be called the “outside heater big three,” are the players who can play their role well, so their actions are also expected to serve as a variable in the FA market.

‘Central Rival’ Park Eun-jin-Lee Joo-ah Acquires Companion FA

In the FA market this time, a number of good players poured into the middle blocker position as well as outside heaters. Park Eun-jin, who maintained the center position along with Jeong Ho-young by ranking third in fast attack 50.61 percent, moving attack 43.68 percent and blocking seventh 0.53 per set this season, has achieved FA status by playing impressive games in various fields. Park is a middle blocker resource that can be sought after by teams such as GS Caltex and Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers, which suffered due to weaknesses in height this season.

Lee Ju-ah, who received the first overall pick in the 2018-2019 rookie draft over rival Park Eun-jin, also earned her first FA status. Lee Ju-ah had a good season as a league-class middle blocker this season, ranking fourth in blocking 0.62 per set and fifth in fast attack 47.03 percent. However, Lee Ju-ah’s trademark mobile attack success rate has fallen to 34.09 percent, and if the success rate of mobile attacks recovers to more than 40 percent next season, she can be reborn as a more powerful player.

Han Su-ji, who became the first blocking queen in her career by capturing 0.83 blocks per set in the 2022-2023 season, also qualified as a free agent. Han Su-ji has shown ups and downs this season, scoring only 101 points in 33 games, and blocking has also fallen sharply to 0.27 14th per set. Mobile attacks, which ranked first with a 60% success rate, have only five attempts, making it hard to find meaning. However, Han Su-ji is also a middle blocker who can attract attention in the FA market if she recovers her sense of blocking in the 2022-2023 season.

Among Libero players, the best players are outstanding. Yellow Libero, who led Jeong Kwan-jang to spring volleyball in this season’s fifth place 4.54 per set and fourth place 6.41 per set, and Han Da-hye Libero, who led Jeong Kwan-jang to spring volleyball for the first time in seven years, ranked third 45.10 percent and second place 6.77 per set in defense, are examples. There are many teams that need to be reinforced with Libero, including IBK Industrial Bank Altos, where Shin Yeon-kyung suffers frequent injuries, and Pepper Savings Bank, where Oh Ji-young left the team, but the original club will also make efforts to keep them.

Lee Won-jung, who served as the main setter of Heungkuk Life Insurance this season, and Kim Ha-kyung, who gave up the main position to Ponpoon Gedfarde in the Asian quarter, both earned their first FA status. Lee Won-jung, the setter, missed the championship for two consecutive seasons after moving to Heungkuk Life Insurance, and Kim Ha-kyung, the setter, had a disappointing season, giving up his starting position as soon as Thai national setter Ponpoon joined. Attention is focusing on which team the two young setters will wear next season to recover their honor. 안전놀이터