Kim Se-jin, 52, the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) head of competition operations, has been named the inaugural head coach of SOOP, which acquired the women's V-League pro volleyball team Pepper Savings Bank.
SOOP announced Friday that it had "confirmed the volleyball team's name as SOOPers and selected Kim Se-jin as its first head coach."
A former national team player, Kim led the men's team OK Savings Bank to back-to-back V-League championships in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons. He later worked as a commentator before being appointed head of competition operations in June 2023, taking on administrative duties.
SOOP said it "selected Kim Se-jin after comprehensively considering his experience operating a new team and his team-building capabilities," adding that it "plans to carry out the founding work in stages, including assembling the roster, appointing the coaching staff, and establishing the club's operating system."
SOOP also explained that "SOOPers carries the meaning that players with different personalities and strengths come together to form a single team, just like SOOP's platform where diverse members participate together."
SOOP, an internet broadcasting platform company, acquired the Pepper Savings Bank team after the bank pursued the sale of its volleyball club due to recent financial problems at its parent company. SOOP joined as a new member through KOVO's board of directors meeting and extraordinary general meeting on the 2nd of this month.
Having appointed its new head coach, SOOP plans to soon confirm its home base and continue preparations to join the league next season, including recruiting foreign players.
