As someone who’s watched Son Heung-min roast full-backs from Leverkusen to London to Los Angeles, this story hits hard. A player of his class should only be worrying about xG, not extortion.
A court in Seoul has sentenced a woman, identified only as Yang, to four years in prison for blackmailing Son. In 2024 she sent him an ultrasound image, claimed the baby was his and then demanded 300 million won to keep it quiet.
Later, she teamed up with a man known as Yong to try to squeeze even more money out of him. Yong admitted his role and got two years behind bars.
The judge was clear: Yang never even confirmed who the father was, but still went after one of the most high-profile footballers on the planet, weaponising his fame and trying to wreck his reputation for cash.
And remember where Son was in his career during all this. We’re talking about the captain of South Korea, a Premier League Golden Boot winner, the guy who carried Spurs for seasons and then smashed an MLS record transfer to join LAFC in August.
Since landing in California he’s dropped 12 goals in 13 games, like defending him is just a side quest.
For any player, this kind of off-pitch chaos could destroy confidence. But Son has built his whole career on mentality: non-stop pressing, both-footed finishing, always smiling, always respectful.
The court’s decision doesn’t just punish the people who targeted him it lets him get back to what he does best: terrifying defenders and making entire stadiums gasp in unison.
So yeah, this whole saga is ugly. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s this: you can foul Son, you can kick him, and apparently you can even try to scam him but you cannot stop him. From Seoul to London to LA, the man just keeps rising.
