[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] Volleyball “Empress” Kim Yeon-koung is returning to coaching once again. Her goal is to establish the eighth women’s volleyball team.

MBC’s variety show “Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung 2” announced that it “will premiere on the 11th of next month.” Along with this announcement, the show released its main trailer, building anticipation for Season 2.
“Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung 2” chronicles the grueling and passionate journey of “veteran coach” Kim Yeon-koung and the “Victory Wonder Dogs” as they strive to establish their team. Kim Yeon-koung, who in Season 1 led a group of underdog players united solely by their potential to become a cohesive team, is set to face even more formidable opponents and once again prove the true strength of the “Victory Wonder Dogs.”
The main trailer, released on the 14th, sparks interest by showing Kim Yeon-kyung returning as a second-year head coach after her rookie season. Kim Yeon-kyung elicits laughter with her signature banter, exclaiming, “Wait, what’s going on here? Why am I even here?”
Kim Yeon-kyung’s candid confession—“I retired precisely to avoid hardship and adversity, yet here I am doing this again”—clearly illustrates the reality she will face this season as she stands at the center of the competition.

Ahead of Season 2, Kim Yeon-kyung—who had confidently declared, “I’m sure I can do even better”—now faces a series of increasingly formidable opponents. In particular, she reveals mixed emotions as a coach when she once again faces former captain Pyo Seung-ju and setter Lee Na-yeon—both of whom previously played for the “Unbeatable Wonder Dogs”—on the court as members of the professional women’s volleyball team “Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders.”
The Wonder Dogs are heightening anticipation by announcing matches not only against Heungkuk but also against the volleyball powerhouse “Hyundai Construction Hillstate,” the newly established team “SOOP Supers,” and even the strongest team in the Vietnamese professional league.
Kim Yeon-koung draws out her players’ potential through a more refined system and intense training, fueled by her burning competitive spirit. Not only does she dive straight into training as soon as a match ends, but as a coach shouldering the team’s fate, she constantly motivates her players—sometimes pushing them relentlessly with a cool, calculated approach, and other times offering warm encouragement. Coach Kim Yeon-kyung’s passionate leadership, in which she stakes everything on her players’ growth, sets the hearts of viewers who have been waiting for “Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-kyung” racing once again.
The production team stated, “The ultimate goal of the ‘Must-Win Wonder Dogs’ is to establish the eighth professional team,” adding, “If a team owner doesn’t step forward, shouldn’t we consider this their last chance?”—hinting that this season presents a challenge more critical than ever before.
Since this is not just a game or a variety show—but a matter of the team’s future—all eyes are on what results they will achieve and whether Kim Yeon-kyung can lead the “Victory Wonder Dogs” to their ultimate goal of establishing the eighth professional team, just as she hopes.
Attention is also focused on the lineup of players who will join Kim Yeon-koung in Season 2. Which players will embark on the “Must-Win Wonder Dogs’” new challenge alongside “veteran coach” Kim Yeon-koung? You can find out on MBC’s “Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung 2.”
Season 1 of “Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung,” which debuted last year, caused a sensation in the entertainment industry, winning awards such as the Program of the Year at the “2025 MBC Entertainment Awards” and the Best Variety Program in the Broadcasting Category at the “62nd Baeksang Arts Awards.”
“Rookie Director Kim Yeon-kyung 2” was produced with support from the Korea Communications Commission and the Korea Communications Agency (KCA). It premieres next month on the 11th at 9:10 p.m.