Lee So-young Returns to IBK: Why She Turned Down Multiple Teams to Reclaim Her Place
One of Korean women’s volleyball’s most beloved outside hitters is officially back. IBK Industrial Bank of Korea announced on June 30, 2026 that Lee So-young would be rejoining the squad, stating, “We have been closely monitoring So-young’s recovery throughout her rehabilitation process, and we are confident she will be fully fit to compete in the upcoming season.” Despite receiving interest from multiple clubs while enjoying free agent status, Lee chose to return to the one place she had always promised she would come back to. A promise made, a promise kept.
The Moment She Walked Away From Her Own Contract
This comeback story begins in the middle of last season. On October 26, 2025, during a defensive training session at the Giheung practice gym in Yongin, Lee dove for a ball, slammed her elbow hard against the floor, and the impact traveled straight to her shoulder joint — causing serious damage. Surgery was unavoidable, and any realistic hope of returning that season was gone.
What happened next is what truly moved people. Despite being on a high-salary contract, Lee requested to terminate her own deal. She felt it was unfair to the club to collect her wages when she couldn’t contribute on the court. Through the team’s official channels, she said, “I can only apologize to the fans, the team, and my teammates. I came to the conclusion that I am not in a position to help the team right now.”
The split was mutual, and the club gave her the most dignified exit possible. Rather than issuing a unilateral release — which carries a far more negative connotation — IBK converted her status to that of a free agent, opening the door for her to negotiate with any club once she recovered. That single decision, many would argue, only deepened Lee’s resolve to come back and repay the trust placed in her.
Why She Chose IBK — Even After Other Teams Came Calling
As a free agent, Lee So-young had genuine options. Multiple clubs reportedly extended offers, and given her reputation and pedigree, that came as no surprise. Yet from the very beginning, she made clear that her mind was set on proving herself at IBK — nowhere else.
New head coach Manabe Masayoshi also played a role. He met with Lee in person, assessed her physical condition, and came away convinced that her athletic ability and wealth of experience made her someone the team needed. Both sides wanted each other, and the contract renewal followed naturally.
Who Is Lee So-young?
Born in 1994, Lee So-young was the overall No. 1 pick in the 2012–2013 Women’s Rookie Draft, selected by GS Caltex Seoul KIXX. Standing at 175cm — on the shorter side for an outside hitter at the top level — she more than compensated with elite explosiveness and an exceptional vertical leap that kept her among Korea’s best for well over a decade. She was part of the South Korean national team that stunned the world with a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Her time at IBK, however, hasn’t gone as planned. She signed a three-year free agent deal worth a total of 700 million won (base salary of 450 million won plus 250 million won in options), but in her first season with the club in 2024–2025, she managed just 69 points across 34 matches (99 sets), mostly as a substitute. Add another shoulder surgery on top of that, and it’s been a difficult stretch — for Lee and for the fans who believe in her.
- 2012 Draft: Overall No. 1 pick, signed by GS Caltex
- 2020 Tokyo Olympics: Selected for the South Korean national team
- 2021: Transferred to KGC Red Sparks (now Jeong Gwan Jang), signed for 650 million won
- 2024: Signed with IBK as a free agent for a total of 700 million won
- November 2025: Right shoulder surgery; released as a free agent
- June 2026: Officially re-signed with IBK, set to return to the court
Why This Comeback Matters
This is more than a routine roster move. Lee So-young’s return carries real symbolic weight on several levels. For one, she had already battled through an eight-month rehab following rotator cuff surgery on the same shoulder after the 2022–2023 season — and now she’s conquered that mountain a second time. That kind of tenacity speaks volumes about her will to keep competing. Second, it is genuinely rare in professional sports for a high-earning athlete to voluntarily walk away from their own contract out of concern for the team’s financial burden. Third, choosing to return to the same club when she had every freedom to go elsewhere says something deeper than career strategy — it speaks to loyalty, pride, and an unfinished score to settle.
For fans of Korean women’s volleyball, watching Lee So-young take the court again in the 2026–2027 V-League season will be one of the storylines worth following all year long. The comeback is real — and it feels like it means everything to her.
Sources
- Lee So-young returns to IBK after surgery… “There were offers from multiple clubs” — Sports Kyunghyang
- Lee So-young re-signs with IBK despite receiving love calls from multiple clubs — Nate Sports
- “I will definitely come back” — IBK converts Lee So-young to free agent status — Kyeonggi Ilbo
- IBK Industrial Bank announces Lee So-young’s free agent status following contract termination — Newspim
- IBK officially lists Lee So-young as a free agent — New Daily
