By Chalien Dantes

A South Korean court has sentenced a woman to four years in prison for blackmailing football star Son Heung-min.

The woman, in her 20s, and her accomplice, a man in his 40s, demanded money from Son by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child. The court heard that she extorted around $200,000 and threatened to go public if he did not pay. Reports say the money was spent on luxury and designer goods.

Her accomplice received a two-year jail term for attempting to blackmail Son and was found to have pressured him multiple times. The case only came to light when the pair demanded more money earlier this year, prompting Son to involve the police.

The judge said the pair exploited Son’s fame and noted that he suffered intense emotional distress.

Son, 33, left Tottenham in August after a decade with the club to join Los Angeles Football Club, in what became the most expensive transfer in Major League Soccer history. In October, he was named the second-highest-paid player in MLS.

Widely recognised as one of Asia’s top footballers, Son made history in 2022 as the first Asian to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot while at Tottenham.