A woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for extorting 300 million won from soccer player Son Heung-min by claiming she was pregnant with his child. Her accomplice received a two-year prison sentence, which has also been confirmed.
The woman did not appeal her sentence after the second trial, leading to its confirmation, while the male accomplice's sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.
According to legal sources on July 2, the Supreme Court's third division, led by Justice Oh Seok-jun, confirmed the two-year prison sentence for the 40-year-old male accomplice, Yong Mo, after rejecting his appeal last month.
In criminal cases, if the grounds for an appeal are deemed improper, the court can dismiss the appeal without further deliberation.
The 20-year-old woman, Yang Mo, was sentenced to four years in prison in April after being convicted of extortion and attempted extortion. She did not appeal her sentence, resulting in its confirmation.
Yang was charged in June 2024 with extorting 300 million won from Son Heung-min by threatening to reveal her alleged pregnancy with his child.
Son reportedly paid the amount due to concerns about the potential damage to his public image and athletic career.
Yang and Yong, who were in a romantic relationship, also attempted to extort an additional 70 million won between March and May of last year by threatening to disclose details about the pregnancy and abortion to the media and Son's family, but they were unsuccessful in this attempt.
The prosecution indicted both individuals in June of last year while they were in custody. In December, the first trial court stated, "The victim (Son Heung-min) likely suffered significant mental distress," sentencing Yang and Yong to four and two years in prison, respectively.
The second trial court also found no valid reasons for altering the first trial's judgment, stating that the sentences did not appear excessively harsh given the evidence and the nature of the crimes.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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