Woman who blackmailed Son Heung-min gets four years in jail

"The woman had approached Son sometime last year claiming she was carrying his child, when in fact she did not know whether that was the case, a Seoul district court heard, according to local media. She extorted $300 million won ($200,000; 153,000) from him and threatened to go public with the allegation if he did not comply. The woman spent the money on luxury and designer goods, AFP news agency reported."

""[The woman] insists she received the money as compensation and portrays herself as a victim," prosecutors told the court on Monday. "But her claims do not fully match the facts," they said, accusing her of planning the crime "thoroughly". The woman's accomplice, who had threatened Son 15 times to get the money, was handed a two-year jail term for attempted blackmail."

A South Korean court sentenced a woman in her 20s to four years in prison for blackmailing footballer Son Heung-min by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child. She extorted 300 million won (about $200,000) and spent the proceeds on luxury and designer goods. Her accomplice, a man in his 40s, threatened Son 15 times and received two years for attempted blackmail. When additional demands came this year, Son reported the matter to police. The judge said the pair abused Son's celebrity and that Son suffered intense mental anguish after media coverage. Son recently joined Los Angeles FC after a decade at Tottenham.

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