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In the men's fourth round match of the 2023-2024 V-League against Korean Air held at Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon on the 1st, KEPCO won the match with a set score of 3-2 (20-25 25-23 25-25 15-13). With two points added, KEPCO scored 29 points and narrowed the gap with third-ranked Korean Air (35 points).

He won, but there were some disappointing scenes during the game. Manager Kwon Young-min was sent off while protesting against the referee's decision. Korean Air's Han sub missed the line when the team was leading 17-16 in the fourth set. However, the referee ruled out Lim Sung-jin's touchout. Immediately, the KEPCO bench requested the video reading, but the reading center disapproved of it.

Then, coach Kwon Young-min strongly protested. He continued to protest for a long time and even slapped the table with his palm. Eventually, the referee ordered coach Kwon Young-min to leave the set. Amid negative environment surrounding the coach's exit, KEPCO lost the fourth set. However, KEPCO made a counterattack in the fifth set. The team won the game.

After the match, coach Kwon Young-min said, "Each viewer may have different standards. Our players said it was wrong. Even when I looked at the video footage, it didn't seem to be right. However, the referee said he couldn't tell whether it was touched or not. I was very excited because one point was an important situation. I thought it was a big score that could have dampened the atmosphere of the game," he said, reflecting on the situation at the time.

This is the first time that head coach Kwon Young-min has been sent off. "Today was my first time to be sent off. It was wrong to hit the table. He deserved to be sent off. I will not get angry and respond from next time," he said.

What kind of order did he give to the players after coming back from the fifth set? "I told the players that we had come this far, but we should not lose," coach Kwon Young-min said. "We were not even helping the referee. If we lost, our pride could have been hurt. The players didn't look good either, but they did a good job."

"It wasn't an easy game. I had no choice but to train harder," Korean Air coach Tommy Tilikainen said after kneeling down at home. "The current situation is tough, but a coach must make the right judgment somehow. We have to look ahead and make better decisions. We were a team with good basic skills. We showed smart and fast volleyball. The team fought wildly throughout the game. Volleyball is an enjoyable thing. I will do my best to show positive aspects of volleyball to fans," he said, vowing to rebound.