Alleged pregnancy
Prison sentence for blackmailing football star Son
December 9, 2025 – 11:15 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
A woman tried to blackmail soccer star Heung-min Son by claiming she was pregnant. This now has consequences.
A Seoul court has sentenced a woman to four years in prison after she blackmailed soccer star Heung-min Son with an alleged pregnancy. Her ex-partner, who acted as an accomplice, received a two-year prison sentence. This was reported by South Korea’s official news agency Yonhap.
The woman had sent Son an ultrasound picture of a baby and demanded 300 million won, about 175,000 euros, for not making the alleged pregnancy public. South Korean media reported that she spent the money on luxury items. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the blackmailer claimed that it was compensation money. However, the public prosecutor’s office stated that their statements “did not completely correspond to the facts.”
As the BBC reports, citing local media, the woman is said to have even admitted in court that she did not know exactly whether Son was actually the father. The footballer only contacted the police after the first payment, when the woman and her accomplice allegedly demanded more money.
According to the Reuters news agency, Son’s representatives could not be reached for comment. As South Korean media report, his agency is said to have previously stated that Son knew the woman but received the money demand with forged documents.
Heung-min Son is a celebrated soccer star in South Korea and is considered one of the most famous players of his generation. The 33-year-old began his international career in the Bundesliga and played for Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen. He then spent ten years under contract with Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. He has been under contract with Los Angeles FC in the USA since this summer.