A South Korean court has handed down a heavy sentence to a woman who demanded hundreds of thousands from the former Tottenham star after falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child.
A sensational extortion case involving football legend Son Heung-min has concluded, with a South Korean woman being sentenced to four years in prison. The woman, identified only by her surname Yang, was convicted of threatening the star with fabricated claims of pregnancy to extort money.
The ruling, delivered by the Seoul Central District Court on Monday, detailed a brazen scheme that exploited the global fame of the former Tottenham Hotspur captain.
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Exploiting a Star’s Reputation
The court heard that Ms. Yang, described by local media as a wannabe WAG, initially approached Son claiming she was carrying his child. She demanded 300 million won (roughly £175,000/$205,000) for her silence, money which she reportedly spent on luxury and designer goods.
The court confirmed that Ms. Yang never definitively knew the identity of the father of the child. When she later demanded a further 70 million won, Son finally went to the police.
Judge Im Jeong-bin did not hold back in condemning the actions of the defendants, which included a male accomplice in his 40s who was jailed for two years for attempted blackmail.
The judge stated that Ms. Yang went to “extreme measures” to smear the South Korea captain’s reputation.
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Intense Mental Anguish
Judge Im noted that the defendants abused Son’s celebrity status, causing him considerable distress.
“It was not limited to simple threats or demands for money – she went further by taking action, such as informing the media and advertising agencies, exploiting Son’s status as a public figure,” the judge ruled.
The footballer “suffered considerable psychological distress as a result of the case becoming public,” the judge added.
Son, one of Asia’s most beloved football stars, moved to the MLS team Los Angeles FC earlier this year in what was reported to be the league’s most expensive transfer in history. His representatives previously stated that he had known the woman but received a demand for money with “fabricated materials.”
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