Yang denies conspiring in blackmail case
A group that attempted to extort money by claiming that one of its members was pregnant with the child of Son Heungmin, captain of the national soccer team, was arrested by police on the 17th.
A woman in her 20s, Yang Mo (left), who claimed to be pregnant with the child of Son Heungmin, captain of the national soccer team, and a man in his 40s, Yoon Mo, are entering the Seoul Central District Court on the 17th to attend a warrant hearing. Photo by Yonhap News
Yoon Wonmook, chief judge at the Seoul Central District Court, conducted a pretrial detention hearing (warrant review) at 2 p.m. that day for Yang Mo, a woman in her 20s charged with blackmail, and Yong Mo, a man in his 40s charged with attempted blackmail. He issued arrest warrants for both, citing concerns about destruction of evidence and risk of flight.
Yang, Son's former girlfriend, is accused of extorting over 300 million won from Son by sending him a fetal ultrasound photo in June last year and threatening to expose the pregnancy. It is reported that Yang later wrote a memorandum stating she would not disclose the pregnancy to anyone.
Yong is accused of attempting to obtain 70 million won from Son's side in March this year, but ultimately failed. He reportedly committed the crime after learning belatedly about Yang's threats while dating her.
At around 1:44 p.m. that day, Yang appeared at court in a tracksuit, bound with a rope, and remained silent in response to reporters' questions such as "Do you admit to the blackmail charge?", "Do you still claim to be pregnant with Son's child?", and "Do you have anything to say to Son?"
After the detention hearing, when asked if she had conspired to threaten Son, Yang briefly replied, "No."
Yong also did not answer reporters' questions as he entered the court, but after the detention hearing, he repeatedly said, "I'm sorry," in response to questions such as "Do you have anything to say to Son Heungmin?" and "Do you admit to the charges?"
Earlier, on the 7th, the Gangnam Police Station received Son's complaint, arrested the suspects on the evening of the 14th, and applied for arrest warrants the following day.
Police are currently investigating the exact facts, including the authenticity of the ultrasound photo, based on the suspects' mobile phones and other items seized immediately after the arrest.
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