A woman in her 20s, identified only by her surname Yang, was sentenced to four years in prison by the Seoul Central District Court on December 8, 2025, for blackmailing Tottenham and South Korea football captain Son Heung-min out of approximately $200,000 (300 million Korean won) with a completely fabricated pregnancy claims. Yang never had any real connection to Son. In June 2024, after discovering she was pregnant (and not even knowing for certain who the father was), she first tried to extort another man with the same story but got no response. She then turned her attention to Son Heung-min, one of the most famous athletes in Asia. She sent him an ultrasound image of the fetus along with messages claiming the child was his and threatened to go public with the allegation unless he paid her 300 million won immediately. Under enormous pressure and fearing irreparable damage to his reputation, family, and career, Son transferred the full amount. Almost as soon as the money hit her account, Yang went on a spending spree, blowing it all on luxury designer clothes, bags, and other high-end goods. The extortion didn’t stop there. Between March and May 2025, Yang teamed up with her ex-boyfriend, a man in his 40s surnamed Yong, to demand an additional 70 million won. This time they threatened to leak details about the supposed pregnancy and a subsequent abortion to Son’s parents, his teammates, his club, and the media. At that point Son went to the police. Both Yang and Yong were arrested in May 2025 and have remained in custody since. During the trial, Yang tried to portray herself as the victim, arguing that the 300 million won was “compensation” for emotional distress rather than blackmail money. The court rejected that defense entirely, calling the crime “egregious” and highlighting the severe psychological trauma inflicted on Son. The judge specifically noted the huge financial loss, the deliberate lies, the exploitation of Son’s status as a public figure, and the lasting mental stress the ordeal caused him. Yang received four years in prison; Yong, who only participated in the second, failed attempt, was sentenced to two years. As of now, neither has publicly appealed the verdict, and the money Yang spent on luxury items is considered effectively gone. The case has sparked widespread outrage in South Korea and among football fans worldwide, with many praising Son for coming forward and expressing relief that the perpetrators are now behind bars.
Fake Pregnancy, Real Prison: Woman Who Conned Son Heung-min Out of $200K with a Phony Ultrasound Sentenced to 4 Years
