A South Korean court has sentenced a woman who blackmailed football star Son Heung-min to four years in prison.
The woman in her 20s and her accomplice, a man in his 40s, were found guilty of blackmailing the former Tottenham captain by claiming she was pregnant with his child.
The woman had approached Son sometime last year asserting she was carrying his child, although she did not know whether that was the case, a Seoul district court heard, according to local media.
She extorted 300 million won (approximately $200,000; £153,000) from him, threatening to go public with the allegation if he did not comply.
The woman reportedly used the money for luxury and designer goods, as confirmed by AFP news agency.
[The woman] insists she received the money as compensation and portrays herself as a victim, prosecutors told the court on Monday, adding that her claims did not align with the facts and accused her of meticulously planning the crime.
The woman's accomplice, who had threatened Son 15 times to obtain the money, was sentenced to two years prison for attempted blackmail.
When they demanded more money this year, Son reported the matter to the police.
The judge stated that both the woman and her accomplice exploited Son's celebrity for their crime, which reportedly caused him intense mental anguish after the incident was made public.
In October, Son was named the second-highest paid footballer in Major League Soccer (MLS) in North America after leaving Tottenham recently, where he had spent ten years. He is renowned as one of Asia's premier football talents.
In 2022, Son made history by becoming the first Asian to win the Premier League's golden boot award, recognized annually for the league's leading goalscorer.
Additional reporting by Kelly Ng
