A woman in her 20s who extorted 300 million won ($220,000) from Korean national soccer team star Son Heung-min by threatening to reveal her pregnancy was sentenced to four years in prison in a first-instance trial.
Judge Lim Jeong-bin of the Seoul Central District Court's 20th Criminal Division sentenced the woman, identified only by her surname Yang, to four years in prison on charges including blackmail. Prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence. A man in his 40s, surnamed Yong, who was also indicted, received a two-year prison sentence.
"Looking at the conversation records with the victim, the relationship between the two parties appears to have been based on mutual affection, but the defendant denied the charges, claiming the victim exploited a position of superiority," the court said. The court added that "the victim has not forgiven the defendant and is petitioning for severe punishment."
The court explained its sentencing reasoning, stating that "the defendant used the money received from the first offense to purchase luxury goods, and when living expenses ran short with no significant income, proceeded to commit the second offense."
Regarding Yong, the court determined that "beyond simple threats, he took action to notify media outlets and advertisers by exploiting the fact that the victim is a celebrity," adding that "the victim appears to have suffered considerable psychological distress as a result."
Yang was indicted in June last year on charges of extorting 300 million won from Son, 33, who currently plays for LAFC, by threatening to reveal her pregnancy. She also faces charges of conspiring with Yong between March and May this year to threaten to expose the pregnancy and abortion to the media and Son's family, and attempting to extort an additional 70 million won, though that attempt was unsuccessful.
Yang denied all charges during the trial, claiming she "never threatened the victim," but the court rejected her arguments. "The 300 million won received from the victim is an excessively large amount to be considered consolation money for an abortion," the court said, adding that "the defendant claimed she 'thought it was the victim's child,' but there is no evidence to support this."
The court also found Yang guilty of conspiring with Yong in the attempted blackmail, stating that "Yang informed Yong of the abortion and the circumstances of the 300 million won payment, and even provided the victim's contact information," and that "Yong actually contacted the victim and others as a result."
