Woman Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison For Blackmailing Football Star Son Heung-min

Seoul: A woman was sentenced to four years in prison for blackmailing football star Son Heung-min, a South Korean court said on Monday.

The woman, identified only as Yang, was accused of extorting 300 million won ($204,000) from Son in 2024 after he sent her an ultrasound photo of a baby she claimed was hers and demanded money to keep quiet.

He then conspired with a man identified as Yong to extort more money from Son.

The Seoul Central District Court said on Monday that Yang “lied” to Son but did not confirm 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.

Son, 33, is among Asia’s biggest players. After a decade with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, the South Korean star joined LAFC in August.

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