Top court upholds prison terms for couple who tried to blackmail Son Heung-min with fake pregnancy

The top court has upheld prison sentences for a couple who blackmailed footballer Son Heung-min with a fake pregnancy claim and extorted hundreds of millions of won from him, legal sources said on Thursday.

Last month, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by the man identified by the surname Yong, who had been convicted of attempted extortion. The verdict confirmed the lower court’s two-year prison sentence.

The top court ruled that Yong’s grounds for appeal were legally insufficient and dismissed the case without conducting a full review of the merits.

Yong’s girlfriend, a woman identified by the surname Yang, was also indicted on charges of extortion and attempted extortion. She received a four-year prison sentence from an appellate court in April and did not appeal.

Yang extorted 300 million won ($194,000) from Son in June 2024 by threatening to reveal to the public that she was pregnant with his child.

Investigators found that Son complied with the demand out of concern that the allegation could seriously damage his public reputation and football career.

Prosecutors also accused the couple of attempting to extort an additional 70 million won from the athlete between March and May of last year by threatening to disclose the alleged pregnancy and subsequent abortion to his family and the media, though the attempt ultimately failed.

The prosecution indicted the pair with detention last June. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yang to four years in prison and Yong to two years that December.

“The victim likely suffered severe psychological distress,” the district court said.

Despite their appeal, the appellate court rejected their challenge.

“There had been no change in circumstances warranting a different conclusion, and the sentence was not excessive given the nature of the crime and its consequences,” the appellate court said.

BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]