Two South Koreans have been formally charged with blackmail or attempted blackmail targeting Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Local media reports indicate that one of the suspects is Son’s ex-girlfriend.
The suspects, identified as a woman in her 20s surnamed Yang and a man in his 40s surnamed Yong, have been in custody since last month.
A spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office confirmed to AFP that both have been “formally charged and will stand trial while in custody.”
According to Yonhap news agency and other local outlets, Yang, identified as Son’s former girlfriend, allegedly extorted 300 million won ($219,000) from him last year.
She reportedly sent him a foetal ultrasound image and threatened to publicly claim she was pregnant with his child. It remains unconfirmed whether Yang, who local media speculate may have terminated the alleged pregnancy, was carrying the star footballer’s child.
Prosecutors believe Yang later collaborated with Yong, with whom she was in a romantic relationship, to attempt to extort an additional 70 million won from Son this year.
The pair allegedly threatened to expose the alleged pregnancy and abortion to the media. Son reportedly refused to pay the additional sum and filed a criminal complaint against them.
Son, who also captains South Korea’s national team, joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. He has one year remaining on his Spurs contract and has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after helping the club end their 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League last month.
