Yang, a woman in her 20s, charged with blackmail... Yong, a man in his 40s, charged with attempted blackmail
Both transferred to prosecution in custody
The prosecution has launched a follow-up investigation into a group that attempted to extort money by claiming that they were pregnant with the child of Son Heungmin, captain of the national football team and player for Tottenham Hotspur. This comes eight days after their arrest.
According to legal sources on May 22, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has assigned the case of Yang, a woman in her 20s charged with blackmail, and Yong, a man in his 40s charged with attempted blackmail, to the Criminal Division 3 after receiving it from the police. The Gangnam Police Station had detained and investigated the two suspects before transferring the case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office earlier that morning.
Yang, Son's former girlfriend, is accused of extorting 300 million won from Son in June of last year by sending him an ultrasound image of a fetus and threatening to expose the pregnancy. It is reported that Yang later signed a written agreement pledging not to disclose the pregnancy to anyone outside.
In March of this year, Yong also attempted to extort 70 million won from Son's side but failed. Yong reportedly committed the crime after learning belatedly about the blackmail while dating Yang, Son's former girlfriend.
Meanwhile, after receiving Son's complaint on May 7, the Gangnam Police Station arrested the suspects on May 14 and requested arrest warrants on May 15. The court issued the warrants, citing concerns about destruction of evidence and the risk of flight.
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