Son Heungmin's Side: "Clear Victim of False Blackmail... No Leniency"

"We Will Take Strong Legal Action"

The camp of Son Heungmin (33, Tottenham Hotspur), captain of the national football team, has announced a strong response regarding the blackmail case involving threats to expose his private life, stating that he is "the clear victim of this incident."

Son Heungmin (Tottenham) is interviewed by the Korean press on the 12th (local time) during the media open day held at the North London Tottenham Hotspur FC training ground ahead of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) final. Photo by Yonhap News

On May 15, Son Heungmin's agency, Son & Football Limited, released a statement saying, "Son & Football Limited has filed a police complaint for blackmail against the group that has threatened the player by spreading false information," and added, "The police are currently investigating, and we will inform you as soon as the results of the investigation are available."

The statement continued, "Son & Football Limited will take strong legal action to ensure that those who have blackmailed with clearly false information are punished without leniency," and emphasized, "We would like to reiterate that Son Heungmin is the clear victim of this incident."

They also said, "We would like to once again apologize to everyone who supports Son Heungmin for causing concern due to this unfortunate incident."

Son Heungmin's side submitted a complaint to the police on May 7, alleging that a woman in her 20s, identified as Ms. A, and others tried to extort money by falsely claiming she was pregnant. The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul has arrested Ms. A on charges of blackmail and a man in his 40s, identified as Mr. B, on charges of attempted blackmail, and is currently investigating the matter.

According to the police, Ms. A is accused of demanding several hundred million won from Son Heungmin's side in exchange for not exposing her alleged pregnancy with Son Heungmin's child in June last year. Mr. B, an acquaintance of Ms. A, is also known to have approached Son Heungmin's side in March this year in an attempt to obtain money.