Choi Hong-seok died on the 9th. No specific cause of death was released.
The mortuary hall was set up at Incheon Citizens’ Funeral Hall No. 204 in Soongui-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon. The coffin will be taken at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Choi, who was 193 centimeters tall and 84 kilograms outside hitter, was named to Dream Six as the No. 1 player overall in the first round of the V League in the 2011-2012 season after passing through Dongseong High School and Gyeonggi University in Busan. Choi, who drew attention as a top rookie, set a real record of becoming the first triple crown rookie in the game against Sangmu (five backward, three serve and three blockings) on October 30, 2011.
Choi Hong-seok, who won his second triple crown of the season against LIG Insurance on January 9, 2012, won the Rookie of the Year award, ranking eighth (490 points) overall in scoring and ninth in attack success rate (49.18 percent).
He struggled in the second season due to an ankle injury, but in the 2013-2014 season when he was acquired by Woori Card, he successfully made a comeback by receiving the MVP in the second round. He also led Woori Card to the championship at the 2015 Cheongju Kobo Cup, and won the MVP of the competition.
Choi Hong-seok, who played as Woori Card’s leading striker by achieving his third individual triple crown in the match against Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance (four backward, three serve, and four blocks), has seen his performance drop little by little since then, and was traded to KEPCO after the 2017-2018 season. Choi Hong-seok, who was trained as OK Financial Group again in a year, experienced his first spring volleyball of the 2020-2021 season and took off his uniform at the end of the 2021-2022 season.
Choi, who played 331 games in 11 seasons in the V League and played 1,060 sets, scored 3383 points in total, 47.78 percent in offense and 33.42 percent in receiving efficiency. On Jan. 28, 2019, he became the ninth player in men’s history to score 3,000 points overall.
He has long been a member of the national men’s volleyball team as well as the V-League. Starting with the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship in 2009, he played in various competitions including the World League, the AVC Cup, and the Asian Championship until 2017.
After retirement, Choi was appointed as a commentator for SBS Sports Volleyball in December 2022, holding the microphone and meeting fans. However, he disappeared in November last year, and the news of his death suddenly spread.
After his death at a young age, the volleyball community and fans are also expressing regret. When the news of Choi’s death was announced, the team that Choi passed through also paid tribute.
Woori Card, which took over Dream Six, Choi Hong-seok’s debut team, mourned, saying, “I pray for the rest of the late Choi Hong-seok who played with us.”
The second team, KEPCO, also left a message saying, “I will remember Choi Hong-seok, who was with the VIXTOM volleyball team of KEPCO.”
OK Financial Group, which spent the end of its career, also paid tribute to Choi Hong-seok, former member of OK Financial Group’s human volleyball team, saying, “Choi Hong-seok has left our side. I pray for the rest of the deceased.”
BY: 토토사이트링크