A woman who blackmailed South Korean soccer superstar Son Heung-min by claiming she was the mother of his child was on Monday jailed for four years, reports said.
The woman, surnamed Yang, extorted 300 million won (US$204,402) from Son last year by sending him a fetal ultrasound image and threatening to go public.
She reportedly splurged the cash on luxury and designer goods, before she and an accomplice surnamed Yong tried to extort a further 70 million from the Los Angeles FC star.
Photo: AFP
Son contacted the police, leading to their subsequent arrest and indictment.
On Monday the Seoul Central District Court gave a four-year term to Yang, who is in her 20s, for blackmail, local TV said.
Co-conspirator Yong — with whom she was reportedly in a romantic relationship — was given a two-year term for attempted blackmail, Yonhap news agency said.
The two have been in custody since May.
Judge Im Jeong-bin on Monday said that Yang had taken “extreme measures” in her bid to tarnish Son’s reputation.
“It was not limited to simple threats or demands for money — she went further by taking action, such as informing the media and advertising agencies, exploiting Son’s status as a public figure,” Im said, according to Yonhap.
Son “suffered considerable psychological distress as a result of the case becoming public,” he added.
The South Korean soccer captain appeared at a closed trial session and gave testimony as a witness last month, local media reported.
It remains unclear whether Yang — who local media have speculated terminated the alleged pregnancy — was actually carrying the star player’s child.
“After learning about her pregnancy, Yang did not verify whose child it was,” Im said.
“Although Yang said she believed the fetus was Son’s, her testimony was inconsistent and therefore difficult to accept,” he added.
The 33-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur captain Son was in October named the second-highest paid player in Major League Soccer.
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