Woman handed four-year sentence for blackmailing footballer Son Heung-min

Woman Sentenced Four Years in Prison for Blackmailing Footballer Son Heung-min Over Fake Baby Photo

A Seoul court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to a woman, identified only as Yang, who was accused of blackmailing South Korean football star Son Heung-min over a fake ultrasound photo claiming he was the father. The crime took place in 2024 and involved extortion demands of nearly £150,000.

Yang's scheme began when she sent an ultrasound photo to Son, without confirming that it was indeed his child. Despite the ambiguity, the player allegedly received the message and responded by paying her a substantial sum. However, Yang continued to extort him further, conspiring with a man identified as Yong to increase the demands.

However, it's worth noting that Yang denied all charges, claiming she had not confirmed Son as the father of her alleged child. The court rejected this claim, stating that Yang lied about her involvement in the extortion scheme.

Yong, who was involved in the conspiracy and later confessed to his role, received a two-year prison sentence.

Son Heung-min is renowned for being one of Asia's top football players, having played for Tottenham and LAFC with impressive success. The 33-year-old's talent has earned him a record fee when he joined LAFC in August.

The incident highlights the growing issue of online harassment and blackmail targeting prominent individuals, including sports figures. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of using fake information to exploit vulnerable people for personal gain.

ugh that poor guy son heung-min is already under so much pressure from the game, last thing he needs is some random chick trying to extort him over a fake baby pic can't even use a decent photo editing software without getting caught anyway, four years is pretty harsh but i guess when you're in that situation, you gotta take it and yeah, this just shows how hard it is for people to protect themselves online so many predators out there, can't even send a fake pic without getting nailed

omg this is so messed up she was already trying to scam him with a fake ultrasound pic and now she's getting 4 years in prison its like she thinks shes gonna get away w/ it lol nope not on our watch. the worst part is that guy Yong got off easy w/ only 2 yrs i guess some people r just more willing to take advantage of others for a quick buck ugh

Ugh, this is just so messed up . I mean, can you believe someone would do something like that to Son Heung-min? The guy's just trying to live his best life on and off the pitch, and then some random woman comes out of nowhere with a fake baby photo trying to strong-arm him into giving her money. It's like, hello, basic human decency!

And don't even get me started on how Yang tried to spin this whole thing. Denying she confirmed Son as the father? Come on, girl, that's just not believable . The court saw right through it.

It's incidents like this that make you wonder how some people can be so ruthless online. Like, what even is the point of ruining someone's life over a few grand? It's just not worth it, in my opinion .

Anyway, I'm glad justice was served and both Yang and Yong got their due punishment . But it's still scary to think about how many other people out there might be going through something similar...

I mean, can you blame the guy who got bullied by some random woman? He's already living his best life as a pro footballer and gets attacked with fake pics of having a baby... that's not cool . And to make matters worse, she's getting away with just 4 years in prison? That seems pretty light considering the amount of emotional distress she caused him. The system's gotta do better than that, if you ask me.

OMG like how Yang thought she could just mess with Son Heung-min's life like that?? Four years in prison ain't enough for her IMHO , I think she should've gotten a lot more time! And can you believe she denied it too? Like, if you're gonna lie and scam someone, own up to it or don't @ me . Anyways, Son Heung-min is literally the GOAT of football and I'm so glad he got justice. This just shows how serious online safety should be taken seriously , we gotta protect our faves from these types of scammers!

Ugh I'm still in shock over this one! I mean, who tries to pull off a scheme like that? Four years is still kinda light, imo. I think it's crazy how these scammers can just make up some fake story and expect people to believe it. Son Heung-min was totally duped . And £150k is insane, bro . It's not the first time we've seen this kind of thing happening online, unfortunately. People need to be more careful and critical when they're scrolling through their feeds . You can't just make up some fake info and get away with it!

omg can u believe this?? some ppl gotta pay 4 what they do... i mean yeah its totally unacceptable but at the same time, yang's all "i didnt confirm" like whats the diff?? you send a pic, you get paid, it ends there? not cool. anyway, glad son heung-mins out of this mess but its just another example of ppl takin advantage of others online... need 2 be more careful w/ what we share & who we trust

Can you believe this?! She thought she could just send out that fake baby photo and get away with it? I mean, come on, Son Heung-min is one of the top football players in Asia! You think he's just gonna roll over and pay her £150,000 because some random woman says she's got a kid who might be his? The fact that she tried to deny it and claim she didn't confirm him as the father is laughable too. It's just so obvious what she did.

And what really gets me is how many people believed her in the first place. I mean, we've seen cases of online harassment before, but this one's just ridiculous. The courts got it right by sending her to prison and giving that other guy a slap on the wrist too. It's time for some accountability and consequences when you're using fake info to try and get what you want from people.

Ugh, this is just so messed up ! I mean, who does that? Four years in prison isn't even enough for someone like Yang, you know? She's going to be out after two and a half and still get to live her life as normal. It's not fair to Son Heung-min who didn't do anything wrong, just because he was stupid enough to respond to a fake photo .

And can we talk about how fake this whole thing is? Like, ultrasound photos are hard to make and she sent one without even confirming if it was Son's kid or not. What does that say about her character? It's just so frustrating when people like Yang think they can get away with something like this.

I mean, I love Son Heung-min too, but this isn't his fault. We should be protecting him from people like Yang, not punishing him for being gullible . The court should have given her a harsher sentence, imo. Anyway, it's just another reminder to always fact-check and be careful online

I'm so worried about Son Heung-min ... four years in prison seems like way too long for someone who was just trying to protect herself and make some money. I know he didn't do anything wrong, but the whole thing is just crazy. And £150k? That's a life-changing amount of money! I feel bad for her situation, but at the same time, I get why he had to take action... it's not right that someone would use fake photos like that to try and ruin someone's life. What really got me was that she denied all charges, even though she was caught red-handed... does anyone know what happened in her head? Was she desperate or just trying to manipulate people?

Wow this is so messed up! The fact that someone could use a fake ultrasound photo to extort money from Son Heung-min is just sick. And the thing is, it's not like he even confirmed he was the father... but still, she went ahead and made the accusation. It's crazy how easily people can be manipulated into paying up when they're given false hope . Anyway, I think 4 years in prison is a fair sentence for Yang - at least she won't be able to blackmail anyone else now .

omg can u beleev wat this woman did?! she sent a fake baby pic to son heung min and now shes in trouble. 4 yrs in prison sounds like a good sentence to me lol. i mean who tries to blackmail someone over a fake ultrasound? its just not right. and the worst part is shes trying to play dumb about it too . i feel bad for son heung min tho, hes such a talented footballer and this girl just tries to ruin his life. online harassment is a real issue now btw... u need to be careful whats posted on ur socials!

OMG can't believe this woman thought she could get away with blackmailing Son Heung-min like that . I mean, come on, sending a fake baby photo and expecting him to pay up? Girl bye . And what's even crazier is that she tried to play dumb when the court called her out on it . The fact that she denied claiming he was the father just proves how desperate she was to get that £150k . Anyways, I'm so glad justice has been served and these two scammers are getting what's coming to them . It's a good reminder for all of us to be cautious online and not fall victim to fake info or blackmail tactics .

omg that's so messed up! i mean what even is the point of making up a fake baby photo? i get why she did it though, i guess people can be super desperate for cash... like £150k is crazy! son heung-min must've been super stressed and scared by all this. anyway, i'm just glad that justice was served and she's gonna spend some time in prison

I'm not surprised that this guy got away with some things but 4 years is still pretty harsh considering she didn't even confirm if the pic was his kid . I mean, I get why the court went for a strong sentence, but a bit more nuance would've been nice, you know? Still, it's just another example of how fake pics and online threats can have real-life consequences . And seriously, £150k is a lot of money to be asking for... Son Heung-min has worked hard for that cash

OMG I'M SO ANGRY ABOUT THIS!!! IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT THAT SOMEONE CAN JUST BLACKMAIL SOMEONE LIKE SON HEUNG-MIN OVER A FAKE BABY PHOTO! LIKE, HOW IS SHE EVEN GETTING AWAY WITH IT FOR SO LONG? AND THE FACT THAT SHE DENIES IT BUT THE COURT KNOWS BETTER IS JUST ROLLY EYE-SOLLING!!! IT'S SO UNBELIEVABLE THAT PEOPLE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE IN SUCH A DESPERATE SITUATION!

Can't believe this is happening . Son Heung-min's case is just another example of how easily manipulated someone can be by scammers like Yang. £150k is a crazy amount, I mean who gets extorted that much over fake baby photos? It's not just the money that's the problem, it's the mental toll these cyberbullies take on their victims. And what really gets me is how some people can so easily be convinced to pay up without verifying the info first. Social media platforms need to do better at policing this stuff , we should all be supporting each other and not just reporting bad behavior.

omg what a crazy story this woman yang is so despicable! she's got no shame at all sending that fake ultrasound photo and expecting son heung-min to pay her off like it's his fault or something? and now she's getting 4 years in prison, which is way too lenient if you ask me. i mean, the guy was just trying to protect himself from some crazy woman who's making up fake stories to scam him out of his hard-earned cash.

and what really gets my goat is that she denied all charges at first like, hello lady, your whole scheme is built on lies and you're expecting us to believe that? anyway, glad yong got a slap on the wrist too, but still can't believe how entitled some people are when it comes to exploiting others for their own gain . this is just another reason why online safety and awareness need to be on top of our minds, especially when it comes to protecting ourselves from cyber blackmail and harassment .

I'm so annoyed with this whole thing . Like, what's the point of even sending a fake baby photo if you're not gonna go through with it? It's just so cheap and pathetic. And the fact that she thought she could extort Son Heung-min out of £150k is just mental . I mean, he's a famous footballer for crying out loud! Can't she see she's just embarrassing herself? And what's even more disgusting is that there was someone else involved in the conspiracy... like, how low can you go?