A South Korean court has sentenced a woman to four years in prison for blackmailing football star Son Heung-min by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child. Her accomplice, a man in his 40s, was given a two-year jail term for attempted blackmail, local media reported.
According to the Seoul district court, the woman, who is in her 20s, approached the former Tottenham Hotspur captain sometime last year and claimed she was carrying his child, despite not knowing whether the allegation was true. Prosecutors told the court she threatened to go public unless Son paid her.
She extorted 300 million won ($200,000; £153,000) from the South Korean striker and used the money to purchase luxury items, AFP reported. Prosecutors argued the woman was not a victim seeking compensation, as she had claimed, but had “thoroughly planned” the crime.
The court heard the male accomplice issued 15 threats to Son while demanding money. When the pair sought further payment this year, Son reported them to police.
The judge said the blackmailers had exploited Son’s public profile and noted that the case had caused the footballer “intense mental anguish” once it became public.
Son, one of Asia’s most prominent footballers, left Tottenham in August after a decade to join Los Angeles Football Club in the United States. His move marked the most expensive transfer in Major League Soccer history, and he is currently the league’s second-highest paid player. (Newswire)