 |
Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] A woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s have been arrested and charged with demanding a large sum of money from Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min (33), claiming to be pregnant.
It was previously believed that the 40-year-old man acted alone in an attempted extortion earlier this year, but additional investigation by the prosecution revealed that the two suspects colluded in the crime.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Criminal Division 3 (Chief Prosecutor Choi Soon-ho), announced on the 10th that they have issued warrants for the arrest of Ms. Yang (in her 20s), who is accused of intimidation and attempted extortion, and Mr. Yong (in his 40s), who is charged with attempted extortion.
Yang, who was in a romantic relationship with Son, is accused of sending ultrasound images of her fetus last June, claiming she was pregnant, and extorting 300 million won from him.
Yong, Yang’s boyfriend, is also suspected of demanding 70 million won from Son in March this year (attempted extortion).
Son’s legal team filed a complaint against them for extortion last month.
The Gangnam Police Department, which received the case, arrested both suspects on the 14th of last month, detained them on the 17th, and transferred them to the prosecution on the 22nd.
According to the investigation, Yang initially tried to inform another man about her pregnancy to demand money, but when he did not respond, she then lied to Son that she was pregnant with his child and demanded extortion money.
The prosecution stated, "It was confirmed that the suspects extorted 300 million won from the victim, who was afraid of damage to her social reputation and her career as an athlete."
Furthermore, after spending all the extorted money and facing financial hardship, Yang attempted to extort money from Son again through her boyfriend Yong.
Following additional searches and review of phone records, the prosecution uncovered that the second case of extortion, which was believed to have occurred between March and May this year and initially thought to be Yong’s solo crime, was actually carried out in collusion with Yang.
As a result, Yong’s charge of attempted extortion has been additionally recognized and formally prosecuted.
AlphaBIZ Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
