South Korean Woman Jailed for Four Years for Blackmailing Football Star Son Heung Min

A South Korean court has sentenced a woman in her 20s to four years in prison for blackmailing football icon Son Heung-min with false claims that she was pregnant with his child.

The woman and her accomplice, a man in his 40s, were convicted of extorting ₩300 million (about $200,000) from the Los Angeles FC forward after threatening to publicly accuse him of getting her pregnant. According to local reports, the woman allegedly did not know whether her claims were true but went ahead with the plot and later spent the money on luxury items.

Prosecutors told the court that she portrayed the payment as “compensation” and attempted to present herself as the victim, but her narrative “did not align with the facts.” The court found that both defendants had carefully planned the scheme.

The accomplice, who sent repeated threats to Son on at least 15 occasions to pressure him into paying, received a two-year sentence for attempted blackmail. When the pair demanded additional money earlier this year, Son reported the case to police, leading to their arrest.

In delivering judgment, the presiding judge said the defendants exploited Son’s celebrity status for personal gain and caused the footballer “severe mental anguish,” particularly after the matter became public.

Son, one of Asia’s most celebrated footballers, joined LAFC in August after a decade with Tottenham Hotspur. He is the second-highest-paid player in Major League Soccer and remains hugely popular in South Korea. In 2022, he made history as the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot.