Prosecutors seek 5-year sentence for woman over Son Heung-min blackmail

Prosecutors on Thursday requested a five-year prison sentence for a woman accused of blackmailing national football team captain Son Heung-min by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child.

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

Prosecutors on Thursday requested a five-year prison sentence for a woman accused of blackmailing national football team captain Son Heung-min by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child.

The Seoul Central District Court presided over the sentencing hearing for the woman, surnamed Yang, who was indicted and detained on charges of blackmail and attempted blackmail. Her accomplice and romantic partner, a man surnamed Yong, is also on trial for attempted blackmail.

The prosecution asked the court to sentence Yong to two years in prison.

“Yang is portraying herself as a victim, claiming the money was compensation, but her account doesn’t fully match the facts,” prosecutors said. “This was a meticulously planned crime, serious in nature, and likely caused significant psychological distress to the victim.”

Regarding Yong, prosecutors said, “He made 15 threats in an attempt to extort money, which shows particularly malicious intent,” but added that “he confessed fully and cooperated with investigators, which should be taken into account.”

Yang was accused of sending Son an ultrasound image in June last year and threatening to expose her alleged pregnancy unless he paid her. She ultimately received 300 million won ($205,000) from Son.

According to prosecutors, Yang had previously attempted to demand money from another man by claiming she was pregnant, but gave up when he did not respond. She then turned to Son, falsely claiming to be pregnant, and successfully extorted the large sum.

After squandering the money on luxury goods and falling into financial hardship, Yang and Yong conspired between March and May this year to blackmail Son again, threatening to go public with claims about the pregnancy and an abortion. They attempted to extort an additional 70 million won but failed.

Both were indicted and detained in June.

Son appeared in court as a witness during a hearing held on Nov. 19.

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 [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]