 "Son Heung-min blackmailing case: Woman jailed for extorting money with fake pregnancy claim")
A South Korean court has sentenced a woman to four years in prison for blackmailing football star Son Heung-min by using a fake pregnancy story to extort money from him. The former Premier League legend, who now plays in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the USA, finally gets relief in the case.
The woman, identified as Yang, had sent Son an ultrasound photo in 2024 and claimed the baby was his. She then demanded 300 million won (about Rs 1 crore) in exchange for keeping the matter quiet. According to the court, Yang had not even confirmed who the father was but still pushed Son for money. Son is a huge name in South Africa and possesses a big fortune thanks to his football exploits.
As per reports, the woman then teamed up with a man named Yong to try to extort even more money from the player. Yong admitted to his role in the plan and has been given two years in prison. The Seoul Central District Court said Yang continued to deny the extortion and attempted-extortion charges, but the evidence proved she had lied to Son.
What is the case?
South Korean news agency Yonhap had reported in May this year that when Son was still at Tottenham, a woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s were detained for allegedly trying to blackmail him. Son had filed a complaint and said that he was a victim of a blackmail attempt.
“The police are currently investigating, so we will let you know the results as soon as they are available. We’d like to tell you that Son Heung-min is clearly the victim of this incident,” Son & Football Limited, Son’s agency, said in a statement earlier this year.
Son Heung-min is one of the most popular footballers from Asia. He spent 10 years at Tottenham Hotspur from 2015 to 2025 before moving to Los Angeles FC in August this year. In 2021-22, Son became the first Asian to win the Premier League’s golden boot award after he scored 23 goals in 35 matches.
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