Two individuals, a man and a woman, who allegedly tried to extort money by claiming they were pregnant with the child of the national football team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), have been indicted while in custody.
According to the legal community, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 3 (Director General Choi Soon-ho) detained and indicted a woman in her 20s, referred to as A, on charges of blackmail and attempted blackmail on the 10th. An accomplice, a man in his 40s, referred to as B, has also been indicted on charges of attempted blackmail.
According to the prosecution, A, who is an acquaintance of Son Heung-min, is accused of extorting 300 million won by threatening to reveal the fact that she was pregnant by sending a fetal ultrasound photo to Son Heung-min last June.
A initially tried to notify another man, not Son Heung-min, about the pregnancy and demand money, but after receiving no significant response, she then attempted to demand money from Son Heung-min by claiming to be pregnant with his child. It is understood that Son Heung-min handed over 300 million won out of concern for the potential damage to his reputation and career.
A squandered the money she extorted on luxury goods and later suffered financial difficulties again. From March to May, she and B, who became her romantic partner, attempted to extort an additional 70 million won by threatening to reveal the pregnancy and abortion to the media and Son Heung-min's family, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
During the police investigation, the attempted blackmail charges were initially reported to involve only B. However, the prosecution confirmed the collusion between A and B through additional searches.
The case became known after Son Heung-min's side filed a complaint on the 7th of last month. Subsequently, a media report revealed that A had confirmed her relationships with Son Heung-min and another businessman at around the same time and that she had informed both men of her pregnancy after being diagnosed with 5 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. A was already resolved to have an abortion when she demanded over 300 million won from Son Heung-min and received the amount before undergoing an abortion. Afterward, B, who developed into A's partner, participated in the threats, demanding an additional 70 million won under the pretext of a confidentiality agreement. Son Heung-min's side decided to file a complaint against A after it learned through the documents handed over that there was uncertainty regarding who the father of the child was.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min participated in the match against Kuwait on the 10th, which was held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium for the 3rd round of group B in the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.
[Photo] OSEN DB, broadcast capture
[OSEN]