Women's professional volleyball player Ahn Hye-jin, 28, who was booked for drunk driving, has been disciplined with a "stern warning and a 5 million won ($3,600) fine."
The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) held a disciplinary committee meeting at its conference room in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 27th and imposed the penalty on Ahn, a former national team setter who was caught drunk driving on the 16th of this month.
The disciplinary committee explained, "Drunk driving is a serious antisocial act and deserves harsh punishment, but we took into consideration that her blood alcohol level was relatively low at 0.032%, that she voluntarily reported the incident to her club and the federation immediately after it occurred, and that she will effectively receive a one-year suspension due to being unsigned as a free agent (FA)."
Under federation rules, drunk driving can result in penalties ranging from a warning to expulsion, with fines of at least 5 million won. Ahn received the lightest level of discipline.
A KOVO official said, "Some may view the penalty as lenient, but we considered that she has already been unable to secure an FA contract and will not be able to play in the league for at least a year." The committee also appears to have taken into account a past case in which a 7 million won fine was imposed despite a much higher blood alcohol level than Ahn's.
Ahn became a free agent after serving as the starting setter for GS Caltex during the 2025-2026 season and leading the team to the championship. However, she was caught drunk driving this month, was booked by police for investigation, and was subsequently dropped from the national team roster. She also failed to receive any contract offers in the FA market, leaving her without a team. Ahn is expected to appear for additional in-person questioning by police in one to two weeks, with criminal charges likely to be determined in about two months.
According to Ahn's attorney, Ahn had a meal from midnight until around 6 a.m. and drank carbonated beverages instead of alcohol from 3:30 a.m. After the gathering, she slept for about 20 minutes in the parking lot before getting behind the wheel, but crashed into a curb at a tollgate. The attorney explained that Ahn had activated the vehicle's cruise mode to scratch her itchy leg, and the accident occurred because the system apparently failed to recognize overlapping lanes. The first two breathalyzer tests showed no alcohol, but the third registered a level sufficient for license suspension.
Ahn attended the disciplinary committee hearing to present her case before leaving. Standing before reporters prior to the penalty announcement, she said, "I am truly sorry for causing concern. I sincerely apologize to the fans and officials. I will make sure something like this never happens again."
