SEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) – A South Korean woman who demanded money from national team captain and Major League footballer Son Heung-min, claiming she was pregnant with his child, was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for extortion, Yonhap news agency reported.
A woman in her 20s, known by her surname Yang, was charged earlier this year after threatening to reveal her pregnancy and receiving 300 million won ($205,000) in exchange for her silence, before trying to get another 70 million won.
A man in his 40s was also charged with conspiring with her.
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yang to four years in prison and the male accomplice to two years in prison, Yonhap reported.
The defendants took advantage of Son’s fame and his “vulnerability” to the type of crime they committed, causing him significant mental anguish, the court said in the ruling.
Yang never confirmed the identity of the father of the child she was carrying, the court said.
Son’s representatives could not be reached for comment.
His office previously said Son knew the woman but had received a demand for money with fabricated materials, according to South Korean media.
The court’s public affairs judge did not return phone calls seeking confirmation of the verdicts. A court official declined to comment.
Contact information for the defendants’ attorneys was not immediately available. Son moved from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur to MLS team Los Angeles FC earlier this year.
