Korea’s first female volleyball manager resigns

Korea’s top-division volleyball team manager Cho Hye-jung said Wednesday she would resign from her post, citing an “inability” to lead the team.

The former national team player was appointed by the GS Caltex volleyball team last year, becoming the first female manager in Korean professional sport.

But Cho has decided to leave the team after just one year there, taking responsibility for the team’s poor performance in the women’s top-division volleyball league. 

GS Caltex made it through to the postseason last year. But since Cho took the helm in April 2010, the team was out of sync almost from the start of the season. The team ended up finishing bottom of the table in the V-league with a disappointing 4-20 win-loss record.

“I take full responsibility for the poor result. I had a lack of preparation,” Cho was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.

“I felt it was the right thing to resign. I’ve made up my mind and told the directors of the team about my decision,” she added.

Meanwhile, the team declined to comment about her departure, noting that they had not yet discussed the decision.

“We don’t know anything yet. She is on a vacation at the moment. We’ll discuss it with her when she is back,” said a media manager of the team.

Cho, 57, had coached Hyundai Hillstate in the V-league and also a second-division team in Italy before taking over GS Caltex. Since 2008, she has also been working as a technical advisor for the Korean Volleyball Federation.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)