A woman who demanded money from South Korea’s national team captain and former Spurs star Son Heung-min by claiming she was pregnant with his child was sentenced to four years in jail on Monday for extortion.
The woman, identified only as Yang, was charged with extorting 300 million won ($204,000) 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 on Monday said Yang “lied” to Son, although she hadn’t 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.
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.
The defendants used Son's fame and his "vulnerability" to the type of crime they were committing, causing significant mental anguish for him, the court was reported as saying in the ruling.
"[The woman] insists she received the money as compensation and portrays herself as a victim," prosecutors told the court on Monday. "But her claims do not fully match the facts," they said.
Son's representatives could not be reached for comment.
His agency has previously said Son had known the woman but had received a demand for money with fabricated materials, according to South Korean media.
The public affairs judge at the court did not return phone calls seeking confirmation on the sentences. A court official declined to comment.
Son moved to MLS team Los Angeles FC from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year.
