This season, the V-League men’s free agent (FA) market was quiet. Unlike the women’s division, which had a lot of movement to the extent that the game fluctuated, only one of the 16 players who obtained FA qualifications in the men’s division moved their team. The only transfer player is outside hitter (left) Na Gyeong-bok (29). The ace of Woori Card, he wore a KB Insurance uniform for a total of 2.4 billion won (600 million won in annual salary, 200 million won in options) for a contract period of 3 years.
However, it cannot be seen on the court in the 2023-2024 season. He entered a training center in Gyeonggi-do on the 24th for military service (full-time reserve), and will be discharged in October 2024 and return for the 2024-2025 season.
In a recent phone call with Sports Donga, Na Kyung-bok said, “It wasn’t a particularly big decision. I just moved my mind to show a little more interest in me,” he explained the background of the transfer. Hu In-jung, director of KB Insurance, was active. Na Kyung-bok said, “He told me that he believed in me. (Due to military service) He said that he could wait for a year, and I was moved by the word that he believed in me even after taking a break.”
Na Kyung-bok has an inseparable relationship with Woori Card. He entered the 2015-2016 season with the first overall pick in the rookie draft and won the Rookie of the Year award, and was selected as the regular league best player (MVP) in the 2019-2020 season. This season, he also showed off his power by posting 603 points (5th place), the most among domestic players. 먹튀검증
The biggest regret for Woori Card, which has spent 8 years, is that it did not win. It ran first in the regular league in the 2019-2020 season, but the season ended early due to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). In the 2020-2021 season, they advanced to the championship game, but lost to Korean Air. Na Kyung-bok said, “It is the most regrettable thing that I did not win at Woori Card, which made my professional debut. Director Shin Young-cheol also encouraged me to go to the place I chose and work hard,” he said, emphasizing that “now my goal is to win KB Insurance.”
Na Kyung-bok is expected to have no difficulty in adapting. Hwang Gyeong-min (27) and Han Seong-jeong (27), who played together at Woori Card, are the core of KB Insurance’s power. However, it is burdensome for an athlete to take a break for 1 year and 6 months. However, Na Kyung-bok said, “I don’t think so. He said, “I plan to come back after preparing well, so there is no big worry.”