A group involved in blackmailing South Korean national football star Son Heung Min, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, by claiming that a woman was pregnant with his child and demanding hundreds of millions of won in exchange for silence, has been arrested by police. Investigations revealed that Son’s camp had paid over 300 million KRW (about $214,889) to the extortionists last year. Authorities are preparing to request arrest warrants for the suspects.
On May 14, the Gangnam Police Station arrested a woman in her 20s, identified as Ms. A, on charges of extortion, and a man in his 40s, Mr. B, on charges of attempted extortion. The following day, police conducted search warrants at both suspects’ residences.
According to the police, one of the extortionists began blackmailing Son Heung Min’s representatives last year, successfully obtaining more than 300 million KRW (about $214,889). When the suspects demanded additional payments, Son’s side ultimately filed a complaint with the police.
The investigation revealed that in June of last year, Ms. A sent Son’s team ultrasound images claiming she was pregnant and subsequently extorted over 300 million KRW (about $214,889) in multiple installments.
However, discrepancies exist between the alleged pregnancy timeline presented by Ms. A and Son’s camp’s statements. Police are currently verifying the authenticity of the evidence submitted by Ms. A.
After receiving approximately300 million KRW (about $214,889), Ms. A reportedly signed a written agreement promising not to disclose the information publicly. Nonetheless, Mr. B, an acquaintance of Ms. A, later approached Son’s representatives in March of this year, threatening to expose the pregnancy claim to the media and demanding an additional 70 million KRW (about $50,146).
Police are also investigating whether Ms. A was aware of Mr. B’s renewed threats. Son Heung Min’s camp has not paid Mr. B. Mr. B is said to have a prior record related to similar crimes.
In response, Son Heung Min’s agency issued an official statement on May 15, declaring that Son Heung Min is a clear victim in this case. They said they will take strong legal action to ensure that those who have committed extortion with false claims are punished without leniency.
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