Park Jeong-ah joins Gwangju AI Peppers on three-year deal

Former Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass’s ace Park Jeong-ah joined the Gwangju AI Peppers on a three-year, 2.3-billion-won ($1.67 million) deal on Monday.

Park Jeong-ah, left, attacks during the fifth leg of the 2022-23 V League championship between the Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass and the Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders at Incheon Samsan World Gymnasium in Incheon on April 6. [YONHAP]

Former Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass’s ace Park Jeong-ah joined the Gwangju AI Peppers on a three-year, 2.3-billion-won ($1.67 million) deal on Monday.

The 30-year-old outside hitter will earn 775 million won a year, the maximum possible in the V League and the same amount that fellow free agent Kim Yeon-koung will earn with the Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders.

“I made the move because I thought it was my last chance for a challenge in my life,” Park was quoted as saying by local media. “I will work to develop the AI Peppers.”

Park was a key player in the Hi-Pass squad throughout the 2022-23 season, as she led her side’s attack with 526 points in the league to finish in third and advanced all the way to the championship series after beating runners-up Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate in the playoffs.

She also shone in the championship against league winners Pink Spiders. Hi-Pass had lost two straight games to the Incheon side in the five-game series, but they bounced back thanks to Park’s efforts and became the first ever team to win the championship after falling two games behind.

Park was the top scorer in the third leg with 24 points and helped her side stay alive, before managing 23 points in the fifth leg to secure the victory.

Park’s move to the AI Peppers — a team founded in 2021 that finished in last place two seasons in a row — comes as the Peppers are looking to improve their squad in preparation for the next season.

Although the Gwangju side recorded two more wins last season than they did in their inaugural season, they were still way behind other teams in the league.

The Hwaseong IBK Altos, who finished in sixth on the seven-team table last season, had 48 points, while the Peppers had 14.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]