Kim Yeon-koung Coaches Wonder Dogs in Korea
Former Olympic MVP Kim Yeon-koung's coaching work and her Wonder Dogs' V-League bid have drawn attention in Japan.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Volleyball
Japanese sports outlet Di Anseo reported on Kim Yeon-koung's coaching and broadcasting activities after her 2025 retirement from active play. Her Wonder Dogs, attempting to establish an eighth Korean women's V-League team, will next face Incheon Heungkuk Life.
Why it matters
The story highlights a former international star moving into coaching and television while building a new franchise in the Korean league. Interest in Japan centers on Japanese setter Tsubaki Danyama, who joined the Wonder Dogs, and on her father's role as head coach of the opposing team.
The report cites Kim Yeon-koung's height as 192cm and frames the Wonder Dogs as a bid for the eighth V-League spot. Results and standings for the upcoming Incheon Heungkuk Life match were not reported.
The players
Kim Yeon-koung
A former Korean volleyball star and 2012 London Olympic MVP who retired from playing in 2025 and now coaches the Wonder Dogs and appears on MBC's The Wonder Coach.
Tsubaki Danyama
A Japanese setter from Kinran Kai High School who joined the Wonder Dogs, drawing attention because her father coaches a rival V-League team.
Sadaki Danyama
Head coach of Incheon Heungkuk Life in the Korean women's V-League and father of Japanese player Tsubaki Danyama.
The details
Kim Yeon-koung, named MVP at the 2012 London Olympics and a former player for Japan's JT Marblus, now appears as a coach and director on MBC's program The Wonder Coach, which scouts players who retired or faced setbacks. Kim approached Tsubaki Danyama, a setter from Kinran Kai High School, in friendly Japanese and asked whether she could speak Korean, and clips of the exchange drew reactions on X.
Timeline
January (prior year): Kinran Kai High School wins the All-Japan High School Volleyball Championship.
2012: Kim Yeon-koung is named MVP at the London Olympics.
Spring 2025: Kim Yeon-koung retires from active playing.
November 5, 2026: Di Anseo publishes its report on Kim Yeon-koung.
Big Picture
Kim Yeon-koung's move from her 2012 London Olympic MVP season into coaching and a new V-League franchise follows the pattern of former national-team stars building second careers on Korean television. Her Wonder Dogs bid extends that pattern into league expansion.
Fantasy and league followers should note that the Wonder Dogs will face Incheon Heungkuk Life next, and that Tsubaki Danyama's matchup against her father's team is a direct, scheduled encounter. The report does not state a date or broadcast details for that match.
The takeaway
Kim Yeon-koung's transition from playing star to coach shows how former international athletes are building new roles in league-building and television. Readers following the Korean V-League can watch the Wonder Dogs' first matches to see how the expansion bid develops.
Further reading
Explore more in Volleyball coverage on international matches and league developments.
