Korean soccer star Son Heung-min appeared in a Seoul courtroom Wednesday as a witness in the trial of a woman accused of attempting to blackmail him by falsely claiming she was pregnant with his child.
Son testified before the Seoul Central District Court in the case of the woman in her 20s, identified only as Yang, who has been charged with extortion and attempted extortion.
The closed-door hearing lasted about 50 minutes, during which judges reportedly questioned Son about the alleged scheme.
Prosecutors said Yang sent Son an pregnancy ultrasound image in June last year and threatened to go public with it unless he paid her 300 million won($205,000), which he then handed over.
Investigators later found she had originally planned to target a different man but turned to Son after receiving no response from her first intended victim.
According to Son’s representatives, the soccer player felt compelled to comply out of concern that Yang’s false claims could damage both his reputation and his team at that time, Tottenham Hotspur.
But as the additional threats dragged on for nearly three months, Son finally decided to take action.
In May, he filed a police complaint against Yang and also her partner, identified as Yong in his 40s, at Gangnam Police Station, saying he “should no longer suffer from fabricated claims.”
Yang is also accused of conspiring with Yong, with whom she was in a relationship, to demand an additional 70 million won between March and May by threatening to reveal the supposed pregnancy and an alleged abortion to the media and to Son’s family.
Prosecutors indicted Yang and Yong in June. Yang partially denied the charges during her first hearing in July, while Yong sought bail in August, a request the court rejected.
Meanwhile, Son led South Korea's national team to a win against Ghana in a friendly match at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Tuesday.
ssh@heraldcorp.com
