Son Heung-min testifies in trial of woman who blackmailed him with fake pregnancy

Son Heung-min, the captain of Korea’s national football team and forward for Los Angeles FC, appeared in court on Wednesday as a witness in the trial of a woman accused of blackmailing him by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child.

National team football player Son Heung-min reacts after an exhibition match against Ghana at the World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 18. [NEWS1]

Son Heung-min, the captain of Korea’s national football team and forward for Los Angeles FC, appeared in court on Wednesday as a witness in the trial of a woman accused of blackmailing him by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child.

The Seoul Central District Court held a hearing for a woman surnamed Yang, who was indicted on charges of blackmail and attempted blackmail against Son. She is currently in detention.

Son's testimony lasted about 50 minutes. The hearing was closed to the public, with both media and spectators barred from the courtroom.

During the witness examination, the court ordered Yang to be placed in a separate room, so the two did not face each other during the proceedings.

Yang is accused of sending Son an ultrasound image in June last year and threatening to reveal that she was carrying his child unless he paid her money. She is charged with extorting 300 million won ($204,500) from him.

Yang initially attempted to demand money from another man by telling him she was pregnant, but she dropped the attempt when he did not respond, according to prosecutors. She then falsely claimed to Son’s side that she was pregnant and received 300 million won, which she allegedly spent on luxury goods.

A woman surnamed Yang, and her partner, a man surnamed Yong, accused of blackmailing national team football player Son Heung-min, attend a warrant hearing at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on May 17. [NEWS1]

Yang later fell into financial difficulty. Between March and May this year, she and her partner, Yong, allegedly tried to extort an additional 70 million won from Son by threatening to reveal details about the supposed pregnancy and abortion to the media and Son’s family. That attempt failed.

Prosecutors indicted both Yang and Yong in June. At her first trial on Oct. 17, Yang denied the conspiracy and attempted blackmail charges but deferred comment on the initial 300 million won extortion, saying she would clarify her stance at a later date. Yong admitted to all charges.

The court is currently proceeding with separate trials for Yang and Yong.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHO MUN-GYU [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]