The highly anticipated meeting between ‘Volleyball Emperor’ Kim Yeon-koung and ‘Figure Skating Queen’ Kim Yuna has come to fruition.
On January 19, Kim Yeon-koung’s YouTube channel ‘Bread Sister’ released a teaser video titled ‘2026 Gubba Soktock First Guest’.
The teaser for the ‘Gubba Soktock’ content shows a woman accompanied by the subtitle ‘Emperor on Ice’. Although her face remains unseen, the title and her distinctive aura identify her as former figure skater Kim Yuna.
Subsequently, Kim Yeon-koung appears with the title ‘Emperor on Court,’ further building anticipation with the phrase ‘The two emperors have finally met.’ The video, scheduled for release on January 22, has already garnered significant enthusiastic reactions.
Kim Yeon-koung and Kim Yuna are widely recognized as South Korea’s iconic ‘sports legends,’ having both reached the pinnacle of their respective fields, volleyball and ice skating. Despite their impressive and enduring records, they continue to be affectionately known as ‘Yeonnim’ by the public, even in retirement. Their anticipated collaboration is drawing considerable attention.
Kim Yeon-koung received a nomination for the Grand Prize at the 2025 MBC Entertainment Awards last year for her role in MBC’s variety show ‘Rookie Director Kim Yeon-koung,’ a program that secured six awards. With Kim Yuna, who seldom appears in entertainment shows, set to make an appearance, curiosity is soaring. This marks her second web variety show appearance, following Yoo Jae-suk’s ‘Pingego’.
In just 15 hours, the 25-second teaser surpassed 74,000 views, proving the public’s keen interest.
Netizens reacted to the meeting of these two legendary sports stars by expressing excitement, with comments such as: ‘Shouldn’t this be scheduled for weekend evenings on network TV?’, ‘Happy to see summer and winter icons meet,’ ‘Are they only meeting now?’, ‘Is this real?’, and ‘Meeting of my two favorite emperors!’
Image source: Xportsnews, Kim Yeon-koung’s YouTube
