Woman handed four-year sentence for blackmailing footballer Son Heung-min

2025-12-08 11:55

A woman has been sentenced in Seoul to four years in prison for blackmailing South Korean football star Son Heung-min.

The woman, identified only as Yang, was charged with extorting 300 million won (£153,000) from Son in 2024 after sending him an ultrasound photo of a baby that she claimed was his and demanding money to stay silent.

She later conspired with a man, identified as Yong, to try to extort more money from Son.

The Seoul central district court said on Monday that Yang “lied” to Son, although she had not confirmed whose child she was carrying.

The court said Yang denied the charges of extortion and attempted extortion. Yong, who confessed, was sentenced to two years in prison, according to the court.

The 33-year-old Son is among Asia’s greatest football players. After a decade at Tottenham in the Premier League, he joined LAFC for an MLS record fee in August. Since then has scored 12 goals in 13 matches for the MLS club.

South Korean news agency, Yonhap, reported in May that a women in her 20s and a man in his 40s had been detained on suspicion of attempting to blackmail Son in June of last year while he was still at Tottenham.