KB Insurance V-League Volley Team Leaves Uijeongbu, Sets Pyeongtaek as Temporary Home

The men's professional volleyball team KB Insurance has chosen Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, as its temporary home to host V-League home games for the 2026-2027 season.

KB Insurance announced on the 25th that "we have decided to hold our home games for the new season at the Pyeongtaek Lee-chung Cultural and Sports Center."

KB Insurance, which had used the Uijeongbu Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province as its home court, lost its home base in December 2024 when the gymnasium was closed after safety issues were pointed out in a detailed safety inspection.

Afterward, the team lived a nomadic lifestyle, playing home games at Incheon Gyeyang Gymnasium and Ansan Sangroksu Gymnasium, before using the Uijeongbu Gyeongmin University Gymnasium as a temporary home ground.

Initially, KB Insurance planned to return immediately once renovation work on the Uijeongbu Gymnasium was completed, but the plan changed when the city of Uijeongbu decided to demolish the gymnasium and completely rebuild it.

KB Insurance originally considered continuing to use the Gyeongmin University Gymnasium, but the team had to look for a new nest as the venue received recommendations to improve facilities to host professional sports games.

The club stated, "Starting last March, we prioritized discussions with the city of Uijeongbu and nearby local governments regarding facility and game operation conditions, but could not reach a decision due to scheduling conflicts and failure to meet the requirements for hosting professional sports games." They added, "Accordingly, we expanded the scope of discussions nationwide to review the facilities and operating environments of major local government stadiums from various angles, and following consultations with the city of Pyeongtaek, we selected the Lee-chung Cultural and Sports Center as our home stadium for the new season."

A club official said, "We sincerely apologize to our Uijeongbu fans for having to play games in another region and for the delay in selecting a home stadium," and added, "We will prepare meticulously so that our existing fans, including those from Uijeongbu, can continue to support KB Insurance unwavering in Pyeongtaek."

Pyeongtaek Mayor Choi Won-yong stated, "It is meaningful that citizens can directly experience the thrill and excitement of high-level professional volleyball close to home," and added, "We will cooperate with the club to provide a new leisure culture for our citizens."

(Photo provided by KB Insurance, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.