“I want to bring about men’s volleyball in Korea.”
If asked to pick the hottest player by the middle of the 2022-2023 season, many people would say Kim Min-jae of Korean Air.
Kim Min-jae, who joined Korean Air as the 1st pick in the 2nd round in the 2021-2022 season rookie draft, proudly started at Korean Air, where players from the national team were lined up, from the opening game of the 2022-2023 season, his second ㅋㅋㅋ벳 professional season.
At the end of the season, he failed to play in many games due to Jae-Young Cho, but Min-Jae Kim, who consistently started as a starter until the 5th round, finished 3rd in fast attacks and 7th in blocking, proving his potential. As his remarkable performance continued, coach Lim Do-heon of the men’s national team also took notice of Kim Min-jae and included him in the roster for the 2023 AVC (Asian Volleyball Confederation) Challenger Cup.
Kim Min-jae, who officially started playing volleyball in the first year of high school, enjoyed the honor of being selected for the national team in about 5 years. Seeing that a player who had not been able to go to the national team by age group was selected for the adult national team after 5 years, it is a result that shows Kim Min-jae’s excellent athleticism and how much effort he has put in.
Kim Min-jae, who met <The Spike> at the celebration of Korean Air and Korea Expressway Corporation held on the 24th of last month, heard the news that he had already been selected for the national team. Kim Min-jae said, “It was very good. It felt good to be able to enter the national team in his second year as a pro, and he felt excited to be able to have a good experience at a young age.”
In Kim Min-jae’s AVC Challenger Cup, his goal is to play. Furthermore, he hopes to cause men’s volleyball, which is less popular than women’s volleyball. “My first goal is to play. If I win there, I can go to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Challenger Cup, but I really want to win and go to the FIVB Challenger Cup. That’s why I want to bring about Korean men’s volleyball.”
On the other hand, the national team players going to the AVC Challenger Cup entered the Jincheon National Training Center from the 1st and started training, but Korean Air players, including Kim Min-jae, will participate in the 2023 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Club Championship held in Manama, Bahrain from the 14th to the 21st. will join later.
