Women's Volleyball Coach Ko Hee-jin Resigns Over Team Dinner Incident

Jeong Kwan Jang head coach Ko Hee-jin has stepped down, accepting responsibility for an incident that occurred during a team dinner in January.

The club announced on Friday that they had accepted Ko's resignation, stating, "Coach Ko Hee-jin recently expressed his intention to resign, taking responsibility for the series of events, and we have decided to accept it." The team added that they would "swiftly initiate the process of appointing a successor to help the team focus on training and preparation."

The incident in question involves an assistant coach from Jeong Kwan Jang, who is accused of inappropriate behavior during a team dinner held during the professional volleyball All-Star break in January. A player who was present at the dinner later reported the issue to the club, which subsequently reported the matter to the Sports Ethics Center and the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) in May.

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Coach Ko Hee-jin recently expressed his intention to resign, taking responsibility for the series of events, and we have decided to accept it.

The assistant coach resigned immediately after the allegations were raised. Ko Hee-jin, who was also present at the dinner, was excluded from club duties starting in May. Amidst growing controversy, Jeong Kwan Jang issued an apology last month, stating, "We deeply apologize for causing significant concern to our fans."

The Sports Ethics Center is currently investigating the allegations. KOVO will decide whether to convene its disciplinary committee after the investigation results are released. Ko Hee-jin, who led Jeong Kwan Jang since the 2022-2023 season, guided the team to the playoffs for the first time in seven years in the 2023-2024 season and to the championship finals in 2024-2025. However, the team finished last in the 2025-2026 season, and Ko has now resigned before the start of the 2026-2027 season due to the recent controversy.

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We deeply apologize for causing significant concern to our fans.