South Korea's national football team 'captain' Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) has become embroiled in a shocking extortion case under the pretext of pregnancy, with detailed developments of the incident coming to light and leading to a new phase. However, it seems that Son's image, which has gained national love and hot calls from the advertising world as a 'wholesome man,' will be inevitably tarnished.

The 'Son Heung-min pregnancy extortion' case became known last June when a woman in her 20s, identified as A, claimed she was pregnant and sent a fetal ultrasound photo, allegedly extorting over 300 million won. She is reported to have also drafted a written pledge not to disclose the pregnancy to outsiders. Subsequently, a man in his 40s, identified as B, approached Son Heung-min's side in March, trying to extort an additional 70 million won using a confidentiality agreement with A as leverage, but was caught before completion.

Recently, the situation took an unexpected 'new turn' through a Dispatch report. According to the report, A had a relationship with another businessman around the same time as Son Heung-min and informed both men about her pregnancy after being diagnosed at 5 to 6 weeks. The businessman did not respond, but Son’s side did, and A was reportedly already determined to have an abortion when she met with Son and his female manager. Son paid 300 million won as per A's demands, and she is said to have undergone surgery the day after the payment was confirmed.

Afterward, B, who developed a romantic relationship with A, discovered the confidentiality agreement with Son in A's mobile phone and began extorting her based on this. B demanded changes to the penalty clause from Son's side and later requested 70 million won in exchange for providing evidence (call and text records) that could allow him to sue A for extortion and fraud. Son's side decided to sue A for extortion after discovering through the provided materials that she had relationships with two men and was uncertain about who the father of the child was.

Through this, the focus has shifted to Son Heung-min being a victim of complicated relationships and meticulous methods of extortion. However, merely the public disclosure of personal issues such as pregnancy, abortion, and demands for large sums of money is likely to deal a significant blow to the 'flawless' image he has built up until now.

Son Heung-min has been active as a model for numerous advertisements for ice cream, razors, telecommunications companies, ramen, massage chairs, hamburgers, etc., and his clean and positive image has been commercially recognized for its immense value. However, due to this personal issue, his trustworthy image is becoming unstable, and the advertising industry is also on high alert. Particularly, major foreign media outlets such as The Guardian and CNN have reported on this incident significantly, causing a blemish on Son's international reputation.

Furthermore, the timing of this issue arising is unfortunate as it is very crucial for Son's career. He has just returned after missing a month of action due to a foot injury and is at an important time as Tottenham is poised to challenge for its first title since 2008 in the Europa League final.

Currently, A and B are in custody and being investigated, and an investigation into the authenticity of the ultrasound photo and other factual matters is ongoing. Despite being a legal victim, Son Heung-min faces a significant backlash in light of the shocking developments regarding his personal life, leading to a tarnished image.

[Photo] OSEN DB, video capture

[OSEN]