Kim In-hyeok, the male professional volleyball team’s left striker for the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Bluefang, has died. This comes after the sportsman was subjected to a slew of disparaging remarks regarding his appearance. The young footballer was discovered dead in his house, and an inquiry into his death is underway. The 27-year-old was born in 1995 and played volleyball for Gyeongnam University of Science and Technology before joining Korea Electric Power Corporation’s Big Storm in the junior draft for the 2017-2018 season. In 2020, he was assigned to the Samsung Fire & Marine Bluefangs squad.
Kim In-hyeok: Professional success and untimely death
According to media reports, the professional volleyball player, a left-wing spiker with the Daejong Samsung Fire Bluefangs, was discovered dead at his house on February 4. Kim In-hyeok was drafted as a top-three choice by the Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm in the professional men’s volleyball league in 2017 after garnering notice as an ace throughout his undergraduate years.
The late sports star was a member of Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm until he suffered an injury to his left hand. Kim was signed by the Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs in 2020. Kim In-hyeok had a bright potential and made a good impact in the 2019-20 season, collecting 344 points in 32 games. Unfortunately, he suffered another injury that forced him to miss all but two games of the 2021-22 season.
However, his professional career suffered as a result of his injuries. He departed the squad in December 2021 and returned home to recover from his ailments. Throughout his career, Kim In-hyeok has faced scathing criticism from netizens and volleyball fans. In August 2021, the volleyball player turned to social media to call against slanderous commenters, writing:
“All of these misconceptions that I have overlooked for the previous 10 years. I thought ignoring them would be the best option, but now I’m exhausted. You’ve never seen me up close, and you don’t know anything about me, but you continuously abuse me with your vicious remarks. Please stop. I’m sick of them. No, I don’t wear makeup; I’ve never worn makeup; I don’t like guys; I have a girlfriend; and I’ve never performed in any AV material in my life. No, I did not put on mascara or any other eye makeup. I use toner and lotion, but if that’s makeup, then I apply makeup.”
Prior to his untimely demise, In-hyeok revealed that he had to cope with hostile remarks throughout his career, especially on game days. Kim’s Instagram page was updated a day before his death with the following post:
View this post on Instagram
While Kim In-hyeok was dealing with the strain of harsh remarks throughout his professional career, the athlete had exceptional results in his contests. Fans of the volleyball player remarked that his appearance should not have mattered to all those who approached him.
One netizen pointed out that even though Kim had left the squad to heal, he was still receiving scathing remarks. They went on to say that the phenomena of latching on to someone for one little item and refusing to let go until the task are completed has recently grown a lot worse.
