Seoul police on Thursday filed for warrants to formally arrest two people suspected of trying to extort money from Korean footballer Son Heung-min. One of them, reports say, claimed to be pregnant with the 32-year old Tottenham footballer’s child.
South Korea’s news agency Yonhap reported that the Gangnam police station in southern Seoul have filed for warrants to arrest a woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s for suspected extortion after apprehending them on Wednesday night.
The woman allegedly approached the Tottenham Hotspur captain Son last June claiming she was pregnant with his child and demanded money in exchange for staying silent.
She reportedly sent Son an ultrasound image of a baby and received over 300 million won (US$215,000), the South Korean news agency reported.
Son filed a complaint with the police last week, claiming she blackmailed him with a false pregnancy claim.
The player’s agency, Son &a Football Limited, said it had filed a complaint with the police for blackmail. The two men “threatened the player by saying they would spread false information” about a supposed son of Son. “We emphasize that Son Heung-min is undeniably the victim in this case,” the agency said in a statement.
“The police are currently investigating the matter, and we will provide updates as soon as the investigation concludes,” the statement read.
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“We will take strong legal action against those who engaged in blackmail and intimidation based on clearly false claims.”
Born in Chuncheon in 1992, Son left his home country for Germany having impressed in FC Seoul’s youth set-up. In 2010, at 18, he scored on his Bundesliga debut for Hamburg SV against 1. FC Köln. In 2015 EPL came calling with Tottenham Hotspur signing him.
Captain of South Korea, Son has played in three World Cups for his country – 2014, 2018 and 2022. He will next be seen in action against Aston Villa on May 17 before facing Manchester United in the Europa League final on May 22.
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