Son Heung-min's father summarily indicted on child abuse charges

Son Woong-jung, father of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, was summarily indicted Friday on charges of child abuse.

Son Woong-jung [YONHAP]

Son Woong-jung, father of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, was summarily indicted Friday on charges of child abuse.

Son was charged in Chuncheon, Gangwon, after being accused earlier this year of abusing young players at the Son Football Academy.

Son and two assistant coaches, one of whom is Son Heung-min’s older brother Son Heung-yun, were ordered to pay an undisclosed fine and complete a court-mandated awareness course to prevent further abuse.

The three coaches were initially accused of verbally and physically abusing a player during a training camp in Okinawa, Japan in March.

The parents of the player reported the elder Son and the two coaches to the police in March after finding a bruise on their son’s thigh, Yonhap News Agency revealed on June 26.

Gangwon provincial police referred the case to the prosecution in April, but the story was not broken until the Yonhap report in June.

According to that report, the parents claim that a coach struck their son in the thigh with a corner flag on March 9, requiring two weeks of treatment.

The player also reported that he and three other players were struck on the bottom after failing to run fast enough, were hit in different body parts by a coach while in the dormitory and were verbally abused by Son.

Son denied the allegations at the time.

"I swear that coaches at my academy have never engaged in any action that wasn't based on love for our young players," Son said, according to Yonhap. "Much of what the plaintiff has said is not true, and we at the academy are fully cooperating with the authorities during this investigation, without distorting or covering up facts."

But Son did admit that his approach might be out of date.

"I admit that I stuck to my own ways without recognizing the standards set by the changing times," he said. "I will seek other ways that can help young athletes concentrate on the field and stay committed to training."

Parents of other players at the academy initially released a statement defending Son, but the story took a turn in July when Yonhap reported that it had obtained video clips showing Son kicking a player during a match and other coaches hurling profanities at players.

Son Woong-jung, left, and Son Heung-min [JOONGANG ILBO]

Son Woong-jung is a high-profile figure in Korean football due to the role he played in his son’s development and career. He has been both praised and criticized for his disciplinarian approach to Son’s football education, requiring the young Son Heung-min to train for six hours a day, every day throughout his childhood.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]